{"id":6258,"date":"2013-07-05T19:24:48","date_gmt":"2013-07-06T00:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/?p=6258"},"modified":"2013-07-05T19:25:08","modified_gmt":"2013-07-06T00:25:08","slug":"sizzle-fizzle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/?p=6258","title":{"rendered":"SIZZLE OR FIZZLE?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Will S.F.’s America’s Cup sizzle or fizzle?<\/h1>\n<\/hgroup>\n
By\u00a0Bill Center<\/a>2:16 p.m.July 5, 2013Updated2:28 p.m.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n
\"A<\/a>
A pair of Oracle Team USA catamarans make their way past fog-shrouded Alcatraz Island during training for the America’s Cup Wednesday, July 3, 2013 in San Francisco. Opening ceremonies for the sailing event are on Thursday. (AP Photo\/Eric Risberg)\u00a0\u2014 AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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There is a lot of sizzle to the 34th America\u2019s Cup this summer on San Francisco Bay.<\/p>\n

For the first time in America\u2019s Cup history, the event will be sailed inshore rather than far offshore with the San Francisco Bay venue guaranteed to be the best ever when it comes to spectator viewing.<\/p>\n

And the 72-foot catamarans add elements and speed and excitement never before seen in the 162-year-old event.<\/p>\n

But is there any substance to this America\u2019s Cup, which is so drastically different from the traditional America\u2019s Cup that it almost seems like a totally different event?<\/p>\n

The total fleet for the event is four boats. Only two of the three challengers are ready to race this weekend with the beginning of the challenger trials. There will be no defender trials.<\/p>\n

But there is controversy. There is always controversy in the America\u2019s Cup. But this one takes the tradition a giant step beyond where we\u2019ve been before.<\/p>\n

On the eve of the July 4 Opening Ceremonies \u2013 which drew large crowds to San Francisco\u2019s Pier 27\/29 America\u2019s Cup Park \u2013 race director Iain Murray threatened to ask the U.S. Coast Guard to pull the racing permit for San Francisco Bay if two challengers didn\u2019t agree to 37 safety requirements.<\/p>\n

The requirements were unilaterally imposed by the organizing committee after the May death of crewman Andrew \u201cBart\u201d Simpson in an accident on San Francisco Bay that destroyed the entry of Sweden\u2019s Artemis team.<\/p>\n

If the Coast Guard pulled the permit, the event would be scuttled because the catamarans can\u2019t race on San Francisco Bay without Coast Guard approval.<\/p>\n

Meantime, the New Zealand and Italian challengers, who are scheduled to race Sunday in the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger trials, are going ahead with their protest of the changes — claiming they give the defending Oracle team an advantage.<\/p>\n

The main dispute focuses on changes required to the rudder elevators \u2013 hydrofoils at the bottom of the rudders that allow both hulls to raise out of the water while on high-speed runs off the wind.<\/p>\n

Emirates Team New Zealand and Italy\u2019s Luna Rossa challengers are taking the issue to the international jury as soon as Monday and threatening court action. The Italians, meanwhile, say they might not race Sunday \u2013 further reducing an already limited schedule since the Swedes aren\u2019t expected to be race-ready with their new boat until next month.<\/p>\n

The spectacle of 72-foot catamarans flying around San Diego Bay could be reduced to a weaiting game.<\/p>\n

Certainly, this is not what San Francisco expected when it signed on to back the 34th America\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n

The defending Oracle syndicate led by Larry Ellison, team boss Russell Coutts and on-the-water skipper James Spithill hoped the entries would reach double figures when the rule was first established for the 72-foot catamarans for the 2013 America\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the America\u2019s Cup World Series contested in 45-foot catamarans, which included a 2011 stop on San Diego Bay, drew nine boats representing eight teams.<\/p>\n

But only four teams reached San Francisco. In contrast, the 1995 America\u2019s Cup, the last of three raced out of San Diego, drew seven challengers and three defenders. The 1992 America\u2019s Cup in San Diego, drew eight challengers and two defenders.<\/p>\n

And whereas the last two America\u2019s Cups sailed in San Diego included defense trials, the Oracle defenders won\u2019t be sailing until the best nine-of-17 actual America\u2019s Cup starts on Sept. 7.<\/p>\n

There is no question that the 72-foot catamarans are spectacular \u2013 although many in sailing believe the risk of major accident goes beyond the reward. At a true wind speed of 18 knots, the AC-72 catamaran is capable of reaching speed of 40 mph \u2013 essentially flying on the tiny hydrofoils in question.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s so amazing about this boat is that it\u2019s suspended on these tiny pieces of engineered carbon-fiber,\u201d said Spithill. \u201cthat\u2019s why these boats are so cutting-edge technologically. We\u2019re pushing them right to the limit.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of sizzle.<\/p>\n

But any substance?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

\u00a9 Copyright 2013 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. An MLIM LLC Company. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will S.F.’s America’s Cup sizzle or fizzle? By\u00a0Bill Center2:16 p.m.July 5, 2013Updated2:28 p.m. A pair of Oracle Team USA catamarans make their way past fog-shrouded Alcatraz Island during training for the America’s Cup Wednesday, July 3, 2013 in San Francisco. Opening ceremonies for the sailing event are on Thursday. (AP Photo\/Eric Risberg)\u00a0\u2014 AP There is … Continue reading SIZZLE OR FIZZLE?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[632],"tags":[1706],"class_list":["post-6258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-americas-cup-34-2","tag-americas-cup-opening-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6258"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6260,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6258\/revisions\/6260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephenlirakis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}