AMERICA’S CUP VENUES - SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Published on

By  Dr. Hamish Ross

The America’s Cup has the power to bring together people from many countries, puts a city on the world map attracting visitors - long after the event, and has been the impetuous for renewal and revitalisation of a waterfront leaving a long-term legacy for a host city. The extent of the benefits depends on the willingness of the host to fully embrace the Cup and on the competitors doing everything possible to help establish an exciting and vibrant event for visitors and locals.

One thing is certain, all past venues having experienced the benefits of hosting the Cup dream to see the return of America’s Cup competition to their shores, but thus far, only one venue has ever realised that dream – Auckland.  There are two Challengers who are now working hard to follow suit and return the 37th America's Cup to an earlier Cup venue; the Royal Yacht Squadron (Team INEOS) to Cowes, England and the New York Yacht Club (American Magic) to Newport, Rhode Island.

Let’s look at the past venues:

San Diego (1987 – 1995)

After Freemantle, San Diego became home for the next three America’s Cup matches. Both it’s lighter winds and the first match, the controversial Big Boat vs Catamaran Deed of Gift match, helped to create a new yacht for Cup racing, a modernised 12-meter yacht, to be called the International America’s Cup Class (IACC). Like Newport, funds did not allow a special Cup venue to be created in San Diego, and teams were left to their own devices to find and develop their bases, resulting in no focused venue for competitors and fans. 

The waters off San Diego were the scene of many memorable Cup moments such as the victories of the first Cup catamaran and first wing powered yacht in the 1988 - Stars and Stripes, the scientifically driven America3 (USA 23) which established the benchmark for future Cup design campaigns, the near unbeatable Black Magic (NZL32), as well as the appearance of an aircraft carrier the 97,000 ton USS Abraham Lincoln gate crashing a race between France 3 and Black Magic (they carried on racing), and the shockingly fast sinking of OneAustralia (AUS 35) while racing, and she still lies in San Diego’s deep waters.

One Australia Sinking

AMERICA’S CUP VENUES - SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Published on

By  Dr. Hamish Ross

The America’s Cup has the power to bring together people from many countries, puts a city on the world map attracting visitors - long after the event, and has been the impetuous for renewal and revitalisation of a waterfront leaving a long-term legacy for a host city. The extent of the benefits depends on the willingness of the host to fully embrace the Cup and on the competitors doing everything possible to help establish an exciting and vibrant event for visitors and locals.

One thing is certain, all past venues having experienced the benefits of hosting the Cup dream to see the return of America’s Cup competition to their shores, but thus far, only one venue has ever realised that dream – Auckland.  There are two Challengers who are now working hard to follow suit and return the 37th America's Cup to an earlier Cup venue; the Royal Yacht Squadron (Team INEOS) to Cowes, England and the New York Yacht Club (American Magic) to Newport, Rhode Island.

Let’s look at the past venues:

San Diego (1987 – 1995)

After Freemantle, San Diego became home for the next three America’s Cup matches. Both it’s lighter winds and the first match, the controversial Big Boat vs Catamaran Deed of Gift match, helped to create a new yacht for Cup racing, a modernised 12-meter yacht, to be called the International America’s Cup Class (IACC). Like Newport, funds did not allow a special Cup venue to be created in San Diego, and teams were left to their own devices to find and develop their bases, resulting in no focused venue for competitors and fans. 

The waters off San Diego were the scene of many memorable Cup moments such as the victories of the first Cup catamaran and first wing powered yacht in the 1988 - Stars and Stripes, the scientifically driven America3 (USA 23) which established the benchmark for future Cup design campaigns, the near unbeatable Black Magic (NZL32), as well as the appearance of an aircraft carrier the 97,000 ton USS Abraham Lincoln gate crashing a race between France 3 and Black Magic (they carried on racing), and the shockingly fast sinking of OneAustralia (AUS 35) while racing, and she still lies in San Diego’s deep waters.

One Australia Sinking