The head of the organization spearheading the America’s Cup in San Francisco said yesterday that they will encourage the proposal that the office of Mayor Edwin M. Lee submitted to the Board, which supports San Francisco as the host city to the world’s most prominent sailing event, the America’s Cup, in San Francisco during the summer of 2013.
34th America´s Cup Yacht Race to be held in San Francisco in 2013
“We have worked very hard to bring this historic race to San Francisco and we’re glad we have reached an agreement with the City,” said Stephen Barclay, a Director of the America’s Cup Event Authority. “While we support the deal submitted to the Board, it is not what we had anticipated or planned for.”
Barclay said the new deal falls short on several key provisions that were “anticipated to be included and the absence of these provisions will have a negative impact on the financial outcome of the event. While far from ideal, we’re just pleased to be done so we can move away from deal points and start focusing on the races and the competition between the teams, which is what the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup is all about.”
The new deal calls for the America’s Cup Event Authority to spend more and be reimbursed less. The deal re-instates Piers 30 and 32 as the potential location for the America’s Cup Team Bases, giving the race a central area for the teams and a “pit row” for spectators. The fan access to Team Bases, combined with the America’s Cup Village at Piers 27/29 and the natural sailing amphitheater of the Bay, will create one of the best live viewing experiences the sport has ever seen.
For those not able to view the race in person, this Cup sees the return to live national television, with NBC Sports Group to broadcast over-the-air in the U.S. for the first time in more than 20 years.
“The broadcast interest is a reflection of the exciting venue, technological advancements of the boats, and, most importantly technological advances in cinematography that capture this race like never before,” said Barclay.
In 2013, the 34th America’s Cup is expected to generate over a billion dollars in economic benefits for San Francisco during the next two years and will draw millions of fans and spectators and more than 1,000 accredited news media for the races.
The race will be sailed in the natural stadium of the San Francisco Bay between the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, running up and down the City waterfront. The Bay produces spectacular racing conditions with consistent, heavy winds, putting on shore spectators at the heart of the action.
