SF Contingent in SD for ACWS

November 21, 2011

The test of a true football fan is to make the pilgrimage to far away stadiums to support your home team in hostile environments (think Cheeseheads at Candlestick). This week saw a group of Northern California sailing fans make the trip to San Diego to watch the AC45 World Series.

Spectators went out on charter boats, including the America replica. ©2011 Ariane Paul

San Diego proved to be a tricky venue to keep the crowds into the racing with the light winds this time of year. But Sunday's final fleet race sailed in 15 knots of breeze got everyone excited. Next year will be San Francisco's first event in the AC45 World Series (with later SF races to use AC72s) and we will see how big the crowds will be and what the buzz will be, but all we can say is there should be wind.

The crowd on the pier. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

Bay Area resident Ariane Paul founded a Facebook group called 'SF Contingent to SD to Watch AC45s'. The group quickly grew to 75 members. Ariane filed the following report from San Diego.

"I went down Wednesday through Saturday, and the first three days we hung out at the Navy and Broadway Piers and watched from the public bleachers with Paul Plotts, owner of the schooner Dauntless, and one of his crew, Shelly Albertazzi. The bleachers were small, but there was also plenty of room to stand and have close-up viewing of the races and all the action at the America's Cup Village. Nearby, the main stage was set up with a large screen with live action and commentary streaming right next to the wine and beer garden. Many live bands performed after the racing ended each day.

San Diego sunset. ©2011 Ariane Paul

"Saturday I watched with friends Michael Rossi and Lisa Hotchkiss from a nearby waterfront restaurant and saw the races from a different angle. Each day I ran into, or connected, with many SF friends and fellow sailors. Different groups of us stopped by the Southwestern Yacht Club and San Diego Yacht Club as well as nearby Fiddler’s Green.

A group of Bay Area sailors who made the pilgrimage, with John Laun of Sailing Events Association San Diego (third from right). ©2011 Ariane Paul

"Indoor exhibits on the pier featured various marine biology and ocean conservancy groups from both San Diego and San Francisco. Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle of the SEAlliance made a presentation on the main stage, as did a representative of the vaka Pacific Voyagers which are still in San Diego until they continue on to the next leg of their voyage in January.

Exploratorium South and marine science exhibits. ©2011 Ariane Paul

"I was very happy with the access and all that I saw, and found it easy to get around. It seemed that San Diego did not make a strong publicity effort for the event outside the sailing community, which I found odd. The day we watched from the outdoor restaurant, we had our notebook PC with speakers on so we would not miss the commentary. It is nice to have the professional visuals and detailed race updates as well as the onsite viewing.

The boats on their moorings, just a stone's throw from the public. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

The Broadway pier. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

"Each day saw slightly different conditions. Thursday’s wind, the lightest day, made some of the match races look like they were in slow motion. It will be exciting to see the teams in San Francisco’s heavier air next summer. Congratulations to the week’s big winners of both the match and fleet races, team Oracle-Spithill, and to all the other teams for some fine racing."

The winner of both the match racing and fleet racing. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

Jim Spithill and crew. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

Local San Diegan Mark Albertazzi says this about the whole affair: "It’s one thing to see it on TV but to actually be just meters away from the action is unreal. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical about racing the America's Cup in multihulls, but after this week I’m a converted fan. The acceleration, speed and crew work are amazing. And the ability for one boat to close the distance in a single tack means the race isn’t over until it's over. If the San Diego regatta is any indication of what we can expect to see in 2013, it’s going be a terrific event. The access to team compounds, being on top of the boat staging area, the proximity of the race course to shore side viewing, the onboard and racecourse cameras being projected onto large screens with graphics and announcers - I think this week of racing has attracted and educated more non-sailors, at least in San Diego, to the sport than any other America's Cup event since Perth."

Close viewing at the team tents and Energy Team's wing. ©2011 Mark Albertazzi

For more of Ariane Paul's pictures, see her photo gallery. For everything you always wanted to know (and more) about the America's Cup, see www.americascup.com.