{"id":134,"date":"2011-01-06T16:02:18","date_gmt":"2011-01-07T00:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/?p=134"},"modified":"2015-01-12T09:38:09","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T17:38:09","slug":"san-francisco-will-make-americas-cup-more-accessible-to-fans-organizers-emphasize-at-celebratory-city-hall-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billchapin.net\/allthecitylights\/2011\/01\/san-francisco-will-make-americas-cup-more-accessible-to-fans-organizers-emphasize-at-celebratory-city-hall-event\/","title":{"rendered":"San Francisco will make America’s Cup more accessible to fans, organizers emphasize at celebratory City Hall event"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"America's<\/a>
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Larry Ellison pose with the America's Cup following Wednesday's event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For a while on Wednesday afternoon, the Commissioner\u2019s Trophy<\/a> \u2014 presented to the San Francisco Giants for winning the 2010 World Series \u2014 was only the second most valuable (and, arguably, prestigious) sporting award inside the walls of San Francisco\u2019s City Hall.<\/p>\n

As Giants fans waited to get their pictures taken with baseball\u2019s biggest prize, the city\u2019s leadership turned its attention to the proverbial World Series of sailing coming to San Francisco Bay. Politicians, business leaders and the sailing community gathered in the rotunda to celebrate the city\u2019s selection as the host city for the next America\u2019s Cup<\/a> in 2013.<\/p>\n

With the America\u2019s Cup trophy standing nearby, several notables \u2014\u00a0including Mayor Gavin Newsom<\/a>; billionaire Larry Ellison<\/a>, whose Oracle Racing<\/a> team returned<\/a> the trophy to the U.S. after an 15-year absence; and freestyle skier and Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley<\/a>, who emceed the event \u2014 offered thank-yous and a preliminary preview of the competition.<\/p>\n

San Francisco stands to benefit from as much as $1 billion in economic activity generated by the event, and potentially millions of visitors.<\/p>\n

At a press conference following the presentation, Newsom and Ellison both downplayed the last-minute wrangling that found the organizing committee considering<\/a> Newport, Rhode Island, as an alternate venue. They characterized it as an understandable, precautionary measure, given the unprecedented investments necessary to upgrade San Francisco\u2019s waterfront.<\/p>\n

Ellison portrayed San Francisco as a key part of his vision to make the 34th\u00a0America\u2019s Cup a more populist affair designed to generate more interest in sailboat racing, calling the bay \u201cthe most spectacular natural amphitheater for sailing that God created on this Earth.\u201d Unlike previous regattas, in which courses have been miles out at sea, races will start in the bay near Alacatraz Island, with shoreline viewing able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of spectators.<\/p>\n

\u201cA race that often is hard to see is going to be impossible to miss here in San Francisco,\u201d Newsom said.<\/p>\n

\"America's<\/a>
Gavin Newsom addresses the crowd at City Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other proposals intended to make the event more viewer-friendly include having more, shorter races with definitive start times; devising television coverage that highlights the most exciting aspects of the race; and racing in \u201cthe fastest boats in the world,\u201d 72-foot catamarans with solid wing sails capable of exceeding 40 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to convert sailing into an extreme sport,\u201d Ellison said.<\/p>\n

Ellison avoided specifics when questioned about his long-term plans for the piers being developed, saying the current focus is on turning them into a \u201crace village\u201d able to accommodate sailing teams from around the world. He did say he envisions being able to \u201cintegrate the piers into the economic (and) social life of the city,\u201d offering residents places to dine or possibly hitch a ride on a sailboat.<\/p>\n

Sailing action on San Francisco Bay will begin in August 2012, when the AC72<\/a> catamaran class will make its debut as part of the new America\u2019s Cup World Series<\/a>. The competition proper begins with the Louis Vuitton Cup \u2014 a challenger series that will determine who sails against the defending Oracle team, once again racing on behalf of Golden Gate Yacht Club<\/a> under the direction of CEO Russell Coutts<\/a>, in the finals in late 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Share\"<\/a>\n