America's Cup In San Francisco Is Steering Toward Disaster With No Recovery In Sight

The America's Cup continues to cartwheel toward "ever-mounting disaster," according to Dana Johannsen of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. Desperately "in need of an injection of confidence following last month's tragedy on San Francisco Bay, the beleaguered event is reeling from another series of setbacks, from which it is difficult to see it recovering." With Artemis still to launch their second boat, "they are unable to meet the July 7 start date for the Louis Vuitton challenger series." The result is we are "only likely to see five races in July, between two teams who have already been training against one another for the past eight months." The implications "are massive -- stadium tickets have had to be refunded, hospitality plans are in tatters, and economic benefits the event will have for San Francisco have been scaled back once more." It is "staggering to think how much air has already leaked out of the America's Cup hype balloon" (NZ HERALD, 6/13).