Well, it’s done. Larry Ellison and the BMW Oracle Racing team has defeated Alinghi to bring the America’s Cup back to the USA. The team with the Cup in tow arrived in San Francisco for the first formal welcoming ceremony hosted by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome on 20 February 2010.
To this sailor, City Hall never served a more meaningful purpose. Now, the big question, will San Francisco Bay with its steady 20+ knot afternoon breeze, relatively calm seas, and striking amphitheater play host to the future defense? Is it possible to image a more picturesque setting?
During the press conference all were saying the right things. Newsome promised he would do what ever it takes and has already identified 6 potential sites for the sailing centers. Ellison indicated that public money wasn’t necessary, only land to build the required team bases. All agreed that the cup defense would be an economic boon for the San Francisco Bay Area bringing in in excess of $1 billion.
The requirement stated in the Deed of Gift, the formal legal document setting the rules for the Cup’s defense, requiring a non-headland affected ocean race will most likely be negotiated aside by the challenger of record, Club Nautico di Roma represented by Vincenzo Onorato a friendly rival of Larry Ellison who supported his legal claims against Alinghi.
So with Ellison being a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and the conditions making racing predictable enough for a major TV contract only politics can stand in the way of this sailing mecca being the venue for what may well become the most followed sailing event in history. Let’s hope that the progressives don’t ruin it for the rest of us.
