BMW have announced that their long-standing America’s Cup Sponsorship partnership with Larry Ellison’s BMW-ORACLE racing team will end this year. The end of the relationship also signals the German car manufacturer’s involvement with the America’s Cup.

BMW have been involved with the team since 2002, and the benefits to the company would have been a lot more than media exposure. BMW-ORACLE’s entry in the 2009 Dark Blue Book includes the following service offer:

Carbon Construction: high-quality composite construction of racing yachts, components, and parts inc. construction management services.

For a performance car brand, there are obvious associations to be gained from sponsorship of a yacht racing team, indeed Audi and Volvo invest heavily in the sport. But BMW would have also received significant R&D value from the partnership which culminated in building a next-generation trimaran to win the America’s Cup. The official statement says:

Technology and skills have transferred freely between the automaker and sailing team, most notably in the fields of structural engineering and high-modulus composite construction. The result was celebrated in the February when the yacht USA 17, the fastest yacht in the history of the America’s Cup, won the 33rd Match with a resounding 2:0 victory off Valencia, Spain.

But while the R&D benefits are obvious, it would also be interesting to know what the brand impact of sponsoring the team has been. It might be hard to separate out the effect of the sponsorship from other activities that the company was engaged in at the same time. (BMW ran an F1 team for most of the period that they sponsored the sailing.) The company may have also suffered a negative brand response from being so closely aligned with the public fights between Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli.

Ralf Hussmann, General Manager BMW Sports Marketing and Brand Cooperation also references the benefits the company gained from using the America’s Cup as an innovation platform. He also confirms that the company will continue to back the sport:

“On the design and engineering front, BMW engineers set new benchmarks in terms of intelligent lightweight design. In winning the 33rd America’s Cup, we achieved all of our ambitious goals. We will continue to be involved in the sport on a national level.”

It would be interesting to see if any of the developments have made their way into the consumer product. Like motorsport, the sport of sailing has many development classes that give companies the opportunity to test design processes and manufacturing techniques in a harsh, competitive environment. If you can make a component that can be used ‘in anger’ at the top of the sport and also works in salt-water then you can apply the learnings to other applications.

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During the last America’s Cup cycle, BMW ORACLE’s catch-phrase was ‘Mutual Consent’. This time round, CEO Russell Coutts has been promoting a ‘New Deal’ process that is supposed to be the most open and fair ever. With such a frank discussion between the Defender and prospective teams, the format should be one where challengers are lining up to be part of the new, exciting trophy platform, but early reaction has been the opposite.

Sir Keith Mills, the owner of TEAMORIGIN, has been one of the most vocal opponents of the ‘New Deal’ process. He’s made no secrets of the fact that he believes a multihull boat rules gives BMW ORACLE an unfair advantage and he has also been critical of the Challenger of Record for not representing the views of the challengers.

On Friday, TEAMORIGIN formally announced that they would not be taking part in the next edition of the America’s Cup. The Italian team Azzurra also announced that it would not be taking part in the ‘New Deal’ format.

TEAMORIGIN’s reasons for not contesting the next edition of the Cup broadly fall into three categories; commercial viability, competitiveness and timing.

Many people have latched onto a figure of $100 Million as a budget for a team to be competitive in the next edition of the America’s Cup. This is despite BMW ORACLE statements that they have designed a platform that is budget concious. Sir Keith Mills told Yachting World:

“When you look at the commercial aspects, the costs are around 20 percent more than those of AC32 in Valencia, but the cycle is over three years and not four. The result is that you have to raise 20 percent more money in 25 percent less time. In effect you only have two years of commercial rights to sell.”

The second objection that TEAMORIGIN have is the multihull boat rule. The British team, like most America’s Cup syndicates, is built on traditional monohull match racing principles. The team have competed in the Audi Med Cup and World Match Racing Tour – building strengths that would have positioned themselves well for an America’s Cup that most people would recognise. While the team has also competed in the Extreme 40 Series, Mills believes that the AC72 gives BMW ORACLE a huge advantage over challenging teams. He says:

“I didn’t like the class rule, I think that it has some serious issues with it. For instance, I don’t know how you race something like that in 33 knots of wind. When we asked Oracle about that they really didn’t have an answer. I don’t know how you moor it up, or stick it on the dock and they don’t have answers for that either.

“So I had real concerns about the boat as well as the fact that there are very few sailors around the world that have sailed such boats and very few designers that have designed 40m wings. From our starting point the class has real viability question marks over it.

Finally, TEAMORIGIN have a structural problem with their personnel and the timing of the America’s Cup in 2013. The backbone of the team is made up of successful Olympians who have been forced to choose between gold medals and the silver cup. Many potential challengers were caught off-guard by the announcement of the race in 2013. Despite this being the most open and fair process ever, most teams were expecting the next America’s Cup to take place in 2014.

Comment

The America’s Cup has always been to the Defender’s advantage. Those who challenge for it, do so with a kind of naivety that bets national pride and glory against rational business thinking. The America’s Cup has never been a one-design competition. Like F1, the team with the most money usually wins. So despite the ‘New Deal’, the America’s Cup will continue to be the domain of those who are willing to pay any price to win.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but it flys in the face of some of the stated goals for this Cup cycle. If TEAMORIGIN believes that the numbers don’t stack up, then how will new countries, with currencies valued at less than the British Pound afford to compete? How will BMW ORACLE sell a television package that doesn’t boast the best sailors in the world? Who are the teams who were so enthusiastic about the new boat rule that BMW ORACLE decided to use it instead of a monohull?

America’s Cup teams are not national and are not franchises in the sense that basketball teams are. F1 may be the best comparison – some are run as businesses and some are the whim of rich blokes. Every so often, the rules are changed and every so often teams threaten to pull out of the competition. In 2010, F1 survived the loss of BMW and the America’s Cup will probably survive the loss of TEAMORIGIN, but just who will the ‘Facebook Generation’ be cheering for in 2013?

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The wrangling over the venue choice for the America’s Cup still seems a little strange. Imagine a city winning the right to host the Olympics only to resell those rights at auction to the highest bidder. What message does it send to the world, that America can’t find the investment to host the world’s oldest sporting trophy? What message is BMW ORACLE sending the Facebook Generation in the USA, that they have to watch something in a totally different time zone – where a 1pm start would mean Californians would have to set the Tivo rather than watch live?

While rumours swirl around the announcement of the venue(s) for the next America’s Cup to be made later in the year, the city of San Francisco, the only US city still in the running for the event, has publicly come out and shown it is ready to do business. European cities in the race have not been so transparent or publicly vocal.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and other members of the Board of Supervisors have introduced a formal agreement to host the 34 th America’s Cup in San Francisco. The purpose of the agreement, or term sheet, is to set forth essential terms and conditions agreed upon by the America’s Cup Committee of the Golden Gate Yacht Club and the City of San Francisco with the Protocol for the 34th America’s Cup.

If San Francisco is selected to host the 34 th America’s Cup, the term sheet provides a framework for promptly negotiating a legally binding Host City Agreement and establishing the terms and conditions under which the San Francisco would be prepared to host the America’s Cup event, subject to all necessary approvals and environmental review required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition to Mayor Newsom, Board of Supervisors President Chiu and Supervisor Mirkarimi, the agreement was also initially co-sponsored by Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier, Carmen Chu, Bevan Dufty, and Sophie Maxwell.

Mayor Newsom said:

“We believe there’s no better place on earth than San Francisco Bay to defend the America’s Cup and bring millions of new fans from around the world to the oldest international sailing competition. This agreement establishes the strong partnership between the City, the BMW Oracle Racing Team and the entire community if San Francisco is fortunate to be selected as the Host City for the 34 th America’s Cup. The entire City and State of California are united behind bringing the America’s Cup – and all the economic benefits, jobs and excitement that come with it – to San Francisco.”

Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said:

“We are fully united in our efforts to bring the America’s Cup to San Francisco, and this term sheet outlines the framework of these efforts to highlight San Francisco as the only location for this event. San Franciscans would love to see this world class sailing race on our world class waterfront. The economy of the entire San Francisco Bay Area region will benefit exponentially from hosting the America’s Cup in Spring 2013.”

The stakes for the winning city are high. Leaving aside the political fallout of an American team owner and American club choosing to stage the event outside of the USA, not hosting the event in San Francisco would deny the city significant public benefits, including providing a catalyst for the repair, improvement and productive reuse of City piers along the City’s central and southern waterfront that are currently in a such state of grave disrepair that there is no other viable plan to pay for the needed repairs. Hosting the America’s Cup would also generate an enormous amount of economic development in a very short period of time, including over 9,000 jobs and more than $1.4 billion of new economic activity.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi commented:

“Having been exposed during my youth to sailing and the America’s Cup, I know we have everything race organizers need, including the expertise and will, to host the ‘World Cup’ of Sailing and make this event a monumental success. The San Francisco Bay will provide a breathtaking arena which will enable millions of everyday people to enjoy the excitement of this historic sport as never before.”

Naturally, having ‘other’ offers helps Larry Ellison get the best deal from San Francisco. The gamesmanship shown by the Californian based Defender in the last America’s Cup seems to be continuing this time around. But heavyweight political figures in the USA are rallying. According to the San Francisco Examiner, Republicans and Democrats from across California have set aside political differences to help bring the America’s Cup to San Francisco.

An Honorary Committee of the America’s Cup Organizing Committee includes Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisor David Chiu, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Governor Gray Davis. In addition, officials from across the United States have agreed to join the Honorary Committee, including Newport, R.I., Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster.

Schwarzenegger said:

Getting Democrats and Republicans to support something together in this election season is a great feat. We can all agree that this would be a huge boost for the state of California and the America’s Cup event itself.”

Later this week, the America’s Cup Organizing Committee will announce its membership — a group of civic and business leaders from across the nation who will help tap corporate sponsors for the event.

Newsom said:

“The ACOC Honorary Committee members continue to show race organizers that we are serious about this race coming to California. With more than a billion dollars of economic activity projected for the state of California if the race moves forward, this competition would be a tremendous development for the people of this state.”

More America’s Cup Business News…

BMW ORACLE have announced that they will announce some announcements on the 13th of September. The defender of the America’s Cup and the Challenger of Record will make public a new and exciting America’s Cup boat class and reveal the protocol to govern the 34th edition of the event at a press conference in Valencia.

Speculation has been rife over the last few weeks that BMW ORACLE has chosen multihulls as the preferred boat for the next cup. While the defender is promoting the change as the result of open talks with all parties, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of public support for multihulls amongst traditional Americas Cup players.

The America’s Cup has always been about the defender creating rules that maximise their chances of retaining the trophy. BMW ORACLE have been cleverly using the promise of billions of dollars of TV rights money and the specter of recent court battles to push a boat rule that gives them an R&D head start of several years over their competitors.

The Defender’s line in the media has been that the America’s Cup has to appeal to a young television audience. While most would agree with this principle, the degree to which you have to change the event is very much up for debate.

TEAMORGIN’s Iain Percy wasn’t pulling any punches on where he stands as a sailor. Taking aim at those who would change sailing to appeal to ‘Generation Y’ (with a side-swipe at the Extreme sailing Series, and bankers) he said:

“I can say though that ‘toss a coin TV show racing’ is not my cup of tea. I have nothing against people doing it, I even have friends who are bankers, but for me it isn’t sport. Competitors in any sport need to have a primary and totally overpowering goal of winning by being better than the opposition, that is what separates boxing from WWF wrestling. That is why grown men cry at a football match and only adolescent teenage boys (who haven’t yet discovered girls) like Hulk Hogan. So that’s how I answer my fundamental question: that sailing needs to be a fair challenge of physical, technical and tactical abilities over a series of races.”

Percy goes on to blame the media for pushing a commercial agenda saying:

Other groups use serial bloggers to represent their point of view…

We’re sure that Iain wasn’t talking about yachtsponsorship.com, but we are quite happy to stop reporting on the ‘Race for Change’ and other TEAMORGIN commercial partnerships if we are somehow compromising the sport by doing so.

Percy is right though – that the America’s Cup is about money. It is either private money, coming from wealthy individuals like TEAMORIGIN backer Sir Keith Mills or BMW ORACLE’s Larry Ellison, or it is money generated by the sport. Whoever is funding it, the cup has to be packaged up and sold.

On the 13th of September, BMW ORACLE will announce a decision that will have massive implications for the sport – one way or another. If they are making a change for the future, and not just because it helps them retain the cup then we expect big things.

We expect that the defender can show real numbers to back up their decision. Real numbers in this case doesn’t mean that potential team owners voted 10-8 in favour of multihulls.

We expect that the anonymous TV executives that are quoted by Russell Coutts have done some quantitative research into the Americas Cup audience and can show that the Generation Y segment will generate more ratings, more advertising revenue and higher lifetime value than the installed (but latent) fan-base.

We expect that there has been some 3rd party polling that shows television audiences, given a choice between basketball, x-factor and the America’s Cup sailed in catamarans,  would choose the latter – at least for the organiser’s target demographic.

We expect that those who are the current custodians of the America’s Cup have tried everything they could to maintain the integrity of the product so that it can stand alongside classic sporting trophies like The Ashes, Le Mans, the Rugby World Cup, the Ryder cup or Wimbledon – events that haven’t diluted their format.

We expect to hear teams that have invested heavily in the sport, through events like the Louis Vuitton Cup, the Audi Med Cup and the World Match Racing Tour,  in order to stay together through the last America’s Cup cycle come out in public support of the new Boat Class rule.

We expect, whatever is decided, that not everyone will be happy. The America’s Cup is dead – long live the America’s Cup.

More America’s Cup News….

The 1851 Cup surprised me. Initially I was sceptical about the exhibition match between TeamOrigin and BMW ORACLE to commemorate the original race around the Isle of Wight that became the America’s Cup, but having experienced the event last week in Cowes and having seen the coverage that was generated for the sport in non-sailing press, it was a resounding success.

Perhaps most surprising of all was the action. While the Defender (the challenger seems to be MIA) continues speculation about competing the 34th America’s Cup in a multi-hull, the version 5 boats provided exciting action in the strong Solent breeze.

The 55 mile ‘Around the Island’ race could have been a rather dull affair, but James Spithill and Ben Ainslie raced it as if they were on a 1 mile match racing course. Added to the aggressive match racing tactics were ripped spinnakers and broken spinnaker poles and sailing on the very edge of the envelope that the boats were designed for.

Perhaps sensing that the race would not deliver the picture perfect finish, the rules were rigged in a NASCAR style agreement that had many followers totally confused. Apparently both teams agreed that if one was too far ahead at a certain point, they would restart with a one minute time penalty to the boat that had been behind. To the non-sailing guests that I was with, it made a bit of a mockery of the whole thing. Comparisons with WWF wresting were made, which is hardly the kind of perception you want to give newcomers to the sport.

The other downside was that the racing took place so far offshore. This is partly because of the amount of water needed to sail the boats and partly because Cowes Week gives priority to the other races. Like many of the America’s Cups of the past, the action could only be followed by boat. Although images were beamed back to a shoreside screen with live commentary augmented by ‘Virtual Eye’ 3D animation, the event doesn’t come close to the spectator experience provided around the corner by the Extreme Sailing Series.

No doubt, Jaguar’s opportunistic sponsorship of TeamOrigin for the event would have delivered a pretty decent ROI. It remains to be seen whether the deal will last longer than the ‘Summer of Sailing’. Many of the sponsorship decisions related to the America’s Cup will be put on hold until key information is released – including where the events will be sailed.

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• @nickmoloney There’s hitting the wall and then there is hitting the wall nick see you on Wednesday! in reply to nickmoloney #
• @markchisnell sail 4 gold is next week?? That arrived fast! Might be tough to get there – too much on. in reply to markchisnell #
• Bright sunny morning in cowes. great to catch up with the guys from the even keel project and @PRPETA last night. #cowesweek #
• http://tweetphoto.com/36599111 There’s a giant at the helm #artchal #
• 1851 cup. Who the fuck cares? @TEAMORIGIN @bmworigin2010 #
• Sorry about a tweet that seems to have been published from our account last night. Investigating. #
• First up today – news from the velux 5 oceans race, then off to see the extreme 40s in action later #cowesweek #
• 2 British skippers announced for the velux 5 oceans race. The eco 60 concept combined with a stopover based race makes a lot of sense. #
• Who’s at cowes and would like to Win a signed Ben Ainslie book? /via @hlmarine #cowesweek #
• lots of aggressive match racing tactics going on between @TEAMORIGIN and @bmworacle2010 in the 1851 cup. Looks like ben’s come out on top. #
• http://tweetphoto.com/36963422 the cup that all the fuss is about. #
• Surprised by the action at the 1851 cup. @BMWORACLE2010 clear winners twice thanks to NASCAR-esque restart. #
• Looking at photos and video content from 2010 #cowesweek including super cool extreme 40s and surprisingly engaging 1851 cup #
• @markchisnell According to our sources, the WSTA is dead! #LVT #
• Seems that this new Twitter ‘Who you should follow feature’ is delivering us a lot of new followers – Welcome! #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Dee Caffari At the 2010 Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week http://youtu.be/q7FPmbwSwG8?a #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Extreme 40 Sailing Series – Cowes Week 2010 http://youtu.be/lcXaXvs882M?a #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — 1851 Cup Featuring BMW ORACLE and TEAMORIGIN http://youtu.be/Op3GJJxyPU8?a #
• Some photos from #Cowesweek at our facebook page: http://bit.ly/9aU0vP – Includes Artemis Challenge, 1851 Cup and Extreme 40s #

• I uploaded a YouTube video — 1851 Cup Featuring BMW ORACLE and TEAMORIGIN http://youtu.be/Op3GJJxyPU8?a #
• Some photos from #Cowesweek at our facebook page: http://bit.ly/9aU0vP – Includes Artemis Challenge, 1851 Cup and Extreme 40s #

As auto makers strike to position themselves as environmentally sustainable brands, another car manufacturer has announced a sponsorship deal in the sport of sailing. Jaguar will join TEAMORIGIN for a summer of sailing starting with the 1851 Cup in Cowes next week. The event which recreates the original America’s Cup race around the Isle of Wight also sets up a race between competing luxury car brands with the American team being sponsored by BMW.

The partnership, which will be described as ‘TEAMORIGIN racing with Jaguar’ comes under the umbrella of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, which aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent and success.

The deal helps Jaguar strengthen its environmental credentials, not only through the associations of a wind-powered sport, but also through signing up to TEAMORIGIN’s ‘Race for Change’ which compels partners of the team to adhere to strict environmental goals monitored by the Carbon Trust.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, TEAMORIGIN, commented:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jaguar as our partner. There is a superb fit and alignment of purpose between TEAMORIGIN and Jaguar. Jaguar is clearly one of the most revered and iconic British brands and, just as Jaguar is now taking on and beating the best in the automotive world, so our mission is to take on and beat the best in the world on the water. The fit is further enhanced through our shared commitment to improve our environmental performance.”

Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK commented:

“To partner with TEAMORIGIN is a fantastic opportunity for Jaguar. We are looking forward to the first appearance this summer at the 1851 Cup event, an exciting competition, which will see Britain’s best sailing talent compete against the current holders of The America’s Cup. It’s a mouth-watering prospect and one we are proud to support. This is a serious British endeavour, which fits perfectly with the recently launched Jaguar Academy of Sport, which is all about investing in the future of British Sporting talent.”

TEAMORIGIN’s newly branded livery will appear during Cowes Week and will feature striking Jaguar branding on both the hull and sails. The spinnaker will feature a Jaguar leaper in Union Jack Motif, the symbol of the Jaguar Academy of Sport.

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN,commented:

“TEAMORIGIN’s goal is to win the America’s Cup for Great Britain, to achieve this we need to engage the support of like minded partners. In Jaguar, we can see great synergies where they share our passion for sport and competition at the highest level.”

More Automotive Sailing Sponsorship News…

There is a temptation to delay reporting on the America’s Cup TV trials in Valencia until there are some decisions made. A sailing team sticking a bunch of cameras on two boats is not exactly news and down the beach a bit in Barcelona, you can watch America’s Cup teams like TEAMORIGIN and Emirates Team NZ compete in real racing in the Audi Med Cup.

Nevertheless, the project to make the next America’s Cup a televisual feast has begun and sceptics are hopeful that something good will come out of the investment. Popular sailing blog, Valencia Sailing said:

If this is not a genuine, open and open-minded attempt at making the America’s Cup and sailing much more accessible to the media then I’ll be damned! As you’ll see in the photos there are plenty of cameras, cameramen and photographers, some of them in the most unusual places. Some of the ideas will certainly turn out to be useless, impractical or even stupid. However, I’m sure that some others will give us great footage. Unless you try all of them, you’ll never know if they work or not.

16 cameras captured over four hours of sailing in a combined 60 hours of video as Russell Coutts and James Spithill of BMW ORACLE Racing tested two RC44 monohulls side by side in a series of close-proximity maneuvers.

Three onboard cameramen (two on one boat) augmented the fixed and remote control cameras, and upwards of 25 microphones, including surround-sound microphones, captured the crews’ voices and ambient noise.

Russell Coutts said:

“I thought we certainly achieved what we set out at the beginning of the day, which was to get baseline viewing angles for comparison later in the weekend when we try to alter the racecourse and carry out similar exercises in X40 multihulls. “This evaluation process is all about testing new ideas, and we did that.”

Filming the action is one thing, but there is also a sense that the rules might have to be changed to force sailors to break habits. The official statement from yesterday’s sailing gives some clues to some of the ideas that organisers have for more exciting sailing:

The action became intense when the start box was limited to five boatlengths in width and depth. Required to stay inside the box, the two crews circled around each other for three minutes before breaking off to head to the start line.

The aim is to have the footage available to view on the blog of the official America’s Cup web site so that the public can comment, but even with the technological grunt of ORACLE behind the project, getting 60 hours of Video onto the internet is a challenge. The HD footage is still being ‘ingested’.

More America’s Cup News…

The Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom has welcomed the announcement by BMW ORACLE that the Californian city is now the sole U.S. venue in contention to host the 34th America’s Cup.

Since the Golden Gate Yacht Club won the right to defend the cup in February, the City has been preparing a proposal to host the event utilizing assets along the southern waterfront, and seeking early support from key local stakeholders. The announcement allows the City to leverage national resources and make this a coast-to-coast campaign.

Mayor Newsom said:

“The San Francisco Bay Area is blessed with physical assets that are unmatched anywhere in the world. This announcement allows us to leverage resources throughout the country to ensure that 34th America’s Cup is defended in America.”

San Francisco Bay does form a natural amphitheatre - unlike some previous cups, where racing was held far offshore and viewable only by spectators in boats. San Francisco has a compelling case that from the public shoreline, including Marina Green, Crissy Field, to the Marin headlands, Angel Island, Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf, to its skyscrapers, the viewing platforms are unlimited. This combined with the City’s existing hotel, restaurant and cultural infrastructure, makes San Francisco the world class city it is and an ideal host for the America’s Cup.

Hosting major events is sometimes a game where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Once a city has built the physical and social infrastructure to host a major event, it can leverage those assets to attract more. San Francisco has extensive recent experience in hosting major international sporting events, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch Relay, Major League Baseball All Star Game, PGA Tour President’s Cup, and the AMGEN Tour of California.

The Bay Area is also famously home to some of America’s and the World’s most innovative and successful technology companies. This helps to support Larry Ellison’s vision for incorporation of new technologies and media into the America’s Cup.

To advance the City’s campaign the Mayor has commissioned an economic impact study that will be released next week that will illustrate the significant financial benefits to the local, state and federal economies should San Francisco secure the host city rights. The Mayor is also forming a national America’s Cup Organizing Committee (ACOC) to marshal the private and corporate support necessary to win the campaign.

Additionally, the City has already secured significant local support including resolutions, adopted unanimously from: the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Port Commission, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and the Recreation and Parks Commission, as well as letters of support from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Water Emergency Transportation Agency, San Francisco Bar Pilots Association, Port of Oakland, the San Francisco Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and San Francisco Airport, among others.

The City and its partners are eager to work with Golden Gate Yacht Club and the BMW ORACLE Racing team to finalize the proposed racing facilities on the land and water. Working with the State and federal governments the City will secure the necessary approvals and commitments to meet the team’s stated deadline of selecting the 34th America’s Cup venue by the end of 2010.

More America’s Cup News…