America's Cup racing will return to N.Y. for the first time since 1920 with the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series May 7-8. The N.Y. event is one of six planned during '16, as six America's Cup teams vie for points that count toward the final competition for the 35th America's Cup in '17. Oracle Team USA captain Jimmy Spithill said, "The New York event is going to be spectacular. Racing on the lower Hudson River, in front of that Manhattan skyline, will be a huge hit." Four events on the '16 schedule have been announced to date:
- Muscat, Oman -- Feb. 26-28
- N.Y. -- May 6-8
- Chicago -- June 10-12
- Portsmouth, U.K. -- July 22-24
Two additional America's Cup World Series events are anticipated to complete the calendar, likely in Europe in mid-September and in Asia in mid-November. The Event Village will be in the Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza, while the racing will be on the lower Hudson River off the Battery Park City Esplanade. The technical areas for teams, race management and America's Cup TV production will be based at Liberty State Park and Liberty Landing marina, across the Hudson River in New Jersey (
America's Cup). In N.Y., Christopher Clarey wrote in '17 the prologue to the Cup, "sailing's most prestigious event, will have a strong American flavor." The city has the "longest connection to the trophy, which was held by the New York Yacht Club from 1851-1983." Spithill said, "The Cup was bolted down here for a long time. So it's kind of funny that we bring it back, and I think New Yorkers will be in for a bit of a shock when they see what it's all about. Probably a lot of them think it's raced in the old, slower boats. ... Once you see these things tearing around the Hudson, they won't be able to walk past without stopping and just being in a bit of shock, I reckon." The five challengers are Artemis Racing from Sweden, Emirates Team New Zealand, Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing from Britain, Groupama Team France and SoftBank Team Japan (
N.Y. TIMES, 12/7).
MELBOURNE FINAL: The AAP reported Melbourne has moved its sailing World Cup regatta to St. Kilda "to get a bigger audience, and has its eyes on a even bigger prize." The "newly rebadged World Sailing wants to run a sailing World Cup final each year, and the new location close to the Melbourne CBD offers public exposure unlike any other venue." Event Dir Mark Turnbull said, "St. Kilda would be the perfect location for a grand final. It can showcase the sport probably not like many places around the world can" (AAP, 12/8).
