• AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY
Ben brings some welcome 'bad boy' cred to the America's Cup, as during December's Finn Worlds in Perth, Australia — a really big deal in really small boats — he created quite a ruckus. Feeling that the wake of the press boat had interfered with him, he leapt off his Finn, climbed onto the photoboat, and angrily confronted a cameraman. Officials disqualified him from two races for behavior unbecoming an officer and a gentleman — or something like that — and there went his Worlds. Ainslie hasn't become what John McEnroe was to tennis back in the '80s, but there's hope. In other news, if bureaucrats and activist groups don't derail the America's Cup on San Francisco Bay, current plans call for the team bases to be to the south of the Bay Bridge, between the bridge and South Beach Harbor. The start/finish line, as well as the big video screens and all the rest, will be at Pier 19. Under the guise of politcal correctness, the Private Spectator Yacht Marina, which was to be northwest of the Bay Bridge, has been eliminated. Since this marina was to be for the megayachts owned by
the 1/100th of 1%, it had suddenly became the favorite viewing area of the Bay for a vocal segment of the other 99.99%. Alas, we think it was a 'cut off your nose to spite your face' move because, like or not, the gathering of dozens of 150- to 250ft boats would probably be the biggest single attraction of the America's Cup. Bigger than even the racing. It's a guilty pleasure of almost all the aspiration- Ben Ainslie is bringing his bad al folks to gawk self to the Oracle team. at the trappings of tremendous wealth. And if anyone would be more attracted to the megayachts than the aspirationals, it's the progressives, who hate them with every cell in their bodies. Losing the residency of those yachts is going to cost San Francisco a whole lot more money than we think most people realize. And
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
— INSIDER'S GUIDE therefore jobs. But hey, ideological purity is everything. Just ask anyone who has been condemned to live in Cuba for the last 40 years. With hardly any Americans sailing on the American boats, and with Northern California's perhaps most accomplished sailor running the Swedish team from shore, it's kind of hard to feel a lot of home court pride in the event. And it is a billionaire's game that's hard for most people to identify with. Nonetheless, we support it for the simple reason that we expect it will provide the wildest sailing action the planet has ever seen. It's going to happen somewhere, and the money is going to flow, so why shouldn't it happen and flow on San Francisco Bay? A lot of sailors we've talked to said they are going to watch the event from their boats, from Angel Island, from Pier 39, this or that yacht club, or what have you. We suppose we'll do some of each of those over a period of weeks. But when it comes to the last races of the Finals, we want to be with the hordes at the AC Village. We hope to see you there. — latitude/richard
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February, 2012 •
Latitude 38
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