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Latitude 38
• April, 2010
the Board of Supes, we don't think they can in reality. And as any observer knows, San Francisco has one of the most dysfunctional Boards of Supervisors in the country, and they have long been incapable of acting in the best interests of either the City or the residents. For instance, we could easily see several Supervisors along the lines of Chris Daly say that they would relentlessly fight the Cup's being held on San Francisco Bay — unless every team had at least one homeless crew, one transgender crew, and one illegal alien under indictment for murder on their boat. And that the combined teams had to build 50,000 homes for San Francisco's homeless. While the idea of the Cup compounds being situated along the Embarcadero would appeal to lots of people, we think you are underestimating the number of people who would be dead set against it. Some perhaps for good reasons, others just because they enjoy preventing other people from doing something they really enjoy. Sailors who visit the Bay for the first time are often shocked at the lack of boating facilities and the poor state of what does exist at the San Francisco Marina and Gashouse Cove. There have been attempts to improve these facilities, but they're always met with fierce opposition from Marina homeowners who don't want the status quo changed and by boatowners who don't want their berth fees raised from the below-market rates. Having the team compounds on Treasure Island would seem to be a much more likely prospect, but it wouldn't be very convenient. The cold and howling winds would make it unfriendly to visitors and the teams, and we've seen how long it takes to get approval for anything on Treasure Island. No disrespect for Alameda, but having the compounds there would be extremely inconvenient and have none of the glamour of San Francisco. Lastly, we don't consider ourselves to be experts on the sailing conditions south of the Bay Bridge, but we've sailed and raced there any number of times. Based on our experience, the wind there is extremely inconsistent and fluky — not what's needed for match racing. Of course, a lot of other possible courses have been suggested, some of them based on what would be unusual types of boats for an America's Cup. Ron Young, for example, thinks the teams should race 60-ft catamarans on a slalom course down the Cityfront. That would get an 11 on a scale of 10 in terms of up-close and thrilling action, but a zero from traditionalists. If BMW Oracle is to be believed, the site will have been chosen just about the time this issue hits the press. We'll try to think positively until then, but we're not holding our breath. ⇑⇓GOING TO THE BIG CAT GRAVEYARD IN THE SKY Thanks for the nice coverage of the recent America's Cup races in the March issue. One thing I haven't heard anything about is what the future holds for the two multihulls. With all the money and technology — especially the BMW Oracle wing sail — used in these two amazing boats, it would be such a waste to dismantle them. Have you heard any plans, and if not, can you investigate? Tracy Rogers Relentless, J/92 Redwood City Tracy — What a great question, one we'll try to find the answer to. Like all racing boats, both Alinghi 5 and USA are already obsolete because so much has been learned from them. So we propose that after an old-time ticker tape parade down 5th Avenue in New York City, and a similar shindig down Market Street in San Francisco, the BMW Oracle trimaran should be put on display in front of Oracle headquarters at Redwood