I love living vicariously through my pro sailor friends, they’re quite the adventurous lot. Just the other night, I met Morgan Larson at the Santa Cruz Civic to watch Social Distortion, and he was excited for his upcoming trip to Mussanah, Oman to helm the Extreme 40, Oman Air. Luckily, Morgan spent a little time practicing in the pit at Social D, because today his boat was involved in a little moshing on the race course. It seems that Ernesto Bertarelli aboard Alinghi didn’t quite clear Morgan’s Oman Air, and the result is pictured below.

Morgan sends us this quick report, “We have had 4 great days of training here in Mussanah, Oman. The team is starting to gel. Unfortunately today, doing some match racing practice races with Alinghi, we had a crash. Ernesto tried to duck behind us and missed! So, the boat sustained major structural damage which will keep us off the water for a few days.” Good luck to our Santa Cruz bro Morgan!

Not your typical sailing attire found here in the US.

Should Buff Right Out

We’re gonna make it! We’re gonna make…! We didn’t make it.

The strong community that is SA took ClewGear in an interesting direction. In a round-about trade for the kind advertising price, Dan met our very own Dawg, and ClewGear built a pair of custom fleece-lined sailing shorts that would work with his special needs. With a quick Google search, I found that the only vestige of ClewGear’s existence is on these very pages.

Dan has an entirely new gig, but it’s within the same environmental-consciousness-mixed-with-sailing vein, as ClewGear. Dan is the executive director of Sailors for the Sea, an organization that, as Dan puts it, “…galvanizes the sailing community around ocean conservation. Surfers have Surfrider, fisherman have Trout Unlimited, our organization is for sailors.” Generally, sailors are more conscious of the natural world, since we’re in it all the time, so it seems that Sailors for the Sea is a natural fit.

Raise your hand if you have ever worked Race Committee for a large Regatta. At the end of the day every mark boat, safety boat, and committee boat can produce a veritable mountain of plastic trash. From water bottles to lunch bags and everything else, regattas can create a ton of trash. Sailors for the Sea has a multi-step program that can help regatta organizers learn how to lessen their waste output. Dan expands, “We have a program called Clean Regattas that has 18 best management practices to reduce the environmental footprint on both land and water. We’re the only organization focused on the sailing community.”

The impact of Sailors for the Sea is starting to make a serious difference across the sailing community, especially since they have recently partnered with one of the largest regatta circuits on the water today: The America’s Cup. Dan’s statistics are impressive, “This year alone, 75,000 sailors have come through our program, so we have the track record, and we were able to bring that to the America’s Cup.” Sailors for the Sea’s involvement with The Cup Circuit alone, has saved mounds of trash from filling the landfill. Dan states, You’ll see everyone from Stephanie Martin to Artemis racing using the same water bottles. We’re also making lunches for everybody in reusable plastic containers, which significantly reduces waste.” It was very evident when I walked around the AC village in San Diego that the program was having a positive impact, every trashcan in the staff areas was empty the entire week.

Sailors for the Sea covers more nautical miles than just waste reduction, and according to Dan, “At each location we’re talking about sustainable seafood, we’re talking about invasive species, we’re talking about recycling…we’re working both in front of the public and behind the scenes. We have a Rainy Day Kid Program, which is a science based kids program with lesson plans from some of the best scientists and institutions in both the United States and around the world. They have helped produce 30- 40 minute lesson plans for 6 to 16 year-old children, that sailors can teach to students. You can download the lesson plans for free at Sailorsforthesea.org.”

I had to grill Dan on the fact that from the boat construction, to shipping tons of carbon all over the planet, and readying the venues, the America’s Cup is one of the most ecologically intense regattas going. Dan’s response, “We absolutely recognize that there is already inherently a large footprint in this event over the next couple of years. We’re working to reduce that footprint at each location globally.” From what I saw in SD, I believe that they really did significantly reduce the footprint.

Sailors for the Sea is funded through a variety of resources, from corporate foundations, private foundations, individuals and members. 85% of every dollar goes directly into programming, and you can help support Sailors for the Sea, here.

Rocket 88! The home built 34′ catamaran has held several sailing records around the Bay over the years, and she’s looking for more, with her fresh new owners and crew. The Rocket, built by my friend Serg Pond in 1987, and designed by well-known Santa Cruz Multihull Designer Howard Spruit, is alive and very well! She recently got some new paint, so fresh in fact that today at her relaunch, she was seen sans graphics.

Her new paint job by Elkhorn Composites is looking good!

She also got a lot of new bling, including all synthetic rigging…

…and has a beautiful newish main built by Dave Hodges and the crew at SC Sails. They kept some pink in the sail numbers.

The original builder, Serg Pond was on hand, and highly approves of how well the new owners are taking care of Rocket!

The Rocket Team Van is still firing and sporting the traditional team graphics.

This weekend should be a good cat fight on the water, with a handful of these overgrown beach cats racing in the 3BF! Stand by for pics!

During his opening statement, attorney Lippe made reference several times to an 80% reduction between the draft EIR and final EIR in the ‘projected spectators’ figure. The crowd would murmur in disbelief amongst themselves every time he made the reference. As it turns out, Attorney Lippe was referring to a reduction the estimated number of spectator vessels. Data for the number in the EIR were based on a count taken at Fleet Week 2011, whereas the number in the draft was pure speculation, and wildly optimistic to boot. Attorney Lippe set the record straight when he addressed the council later in the evening. It wasn’t a very good move for the attorney to make such an obvious error, since one of his main arguments was that since spectator numbers were down, then so too would be the revenue required to offset the costs of the various tools available to mitigate environmental impacts by the event and spectators.

One of the major sticking points was the ACEA’s plan to erect an enormous JumboTron, a giant screen that would broadcast the America’s Cup live, in Aquatic Park. The plan was to sink a number of five-foot cube concrete blocks on the Bay floor, and anchor the JumboTron just off the shoreline. For power, the screen would house several diesel generators within the structure. A handful of community members spoke about, “The consistent 30 mile an hour winds,” that would buffet the giant screen every afternoon, and potentially knock it over and create a hazard.

The Dolphin Swim Club, which has been a Bay Area fixture since 1877, and whose members use Aquatic Park for their swimming activities, were concerned about the concrete blocks creating a physical hazard and disturbing toxic sediment. The club is well organized, and they’ve been mobilizing their members on the JumboTron issue for months. They recently posted, “We support the America’s Cup racing program, but have strong concerns over the unclear, open ended collateral aspects proposed for Aquatic Park, such as the mooring of a Barge, 12 story long with a 22 feet high by 44 feet long, JumboTron video screen 3-4 feet above the water in the muddy bottom of the shallow cove of Aquatic Park.” Board Member, David Chiu, said that he also uses Aquatic Park for swimming, and had concerns about the barge as well. He alluded to the fact that he wouldn’t vote to approve the EIR if the JumboTron issue wasn’t adequately solved. Mary Murphy a super-sharp, and quick-witted lawyer for the ACEA quickly conceded that if the JumboTron were an issue, they would forgo the barge idea and look for a land-based alternative, to which there was major applause. Minutes later, the Dolphin Swim Club website read, “Great News (1/24): No JumboTron in the Cove! Congratulations to all who participated (sic) in getting this done! Go AC34!!!.”

The pro-AC line to publicly speak was quite long in comparison to the appeal folks. The Bay Area Marine industry was out in force, and after the proponents of the appeal and Attorney Lippe addressed the Council, it was time for the pro AC34 crowd to step up to the microphone and speak. First up was Peter Stoneberg, Commodore of the StFYC, followed by several other members of different Bay Area YCs including my friend and long-time Bay sailor John Super. All touched on how the AC has created interest in their clubs, and that they have seen an upsurge in membership. John Arndt from Latitude 38, Paul Kaplan from KKMI, and a rep from Port Supply all articulated how they have already seen an increase in business from the developing AC. Several members of the Longshoreman Union addressed the need for jobs within their industry, and that the AC would satisfy that need. A number of small business owners rounded out the mix, and it was set up for a vote. The vote was 10-0 in favor of approving the EIR. The crowd applauded.

It’s really amazing that in a city such as San Francisco, stereotyped as it is, that the eco-groovy faction wasn’t more vocal and that the appeal was allowed to sink into the muck. Of course in closing, Attorney Lippe stated that his clients would make the decision whether or not to sue the city by Feb 14, so there’s still time to royally screw things up. But for now, things are a go. I spoke with several business folks outside after the vote, and they were excitedly making plans to open the doors to their new business tomorrow, a decision that hinged on this EIR decision. Sure, a lot of us are winners tonight. We’ll be working for the AC, our businesses will grow due the AC being held here, a lot of revenue will be generated, etc., but there’s a David and Goliath highlight here that I don’t want to pass up. The podunk swimming club (no offence) was able to thwart Mr. Ellison’s giant JumboTron. Onward! We’ll see what happens next.

On a recent work trip to the South Bay, I noticed two Nacra Carbon 20 beauties sitting in one of the most beach cat active areas of the entire bay area, which is generally dominated by F18s. According to Oracle Racing’s Tim Jeffery, “The Carbon 20s are used to getting time on the water between sailing AC 45 sessions.” This is great for local fleets, it adds more multi presence on the water and adds legitimacy to a fleet that has historically been shunned by mainstream sailing. This, for me, is one of the most exciting aspects of the AC being run on multis. Finally, after almost 30 years since the Hobie 16 really hit the mainstream hard, cat sailors are gaining rank within the sailing universe.

Picking up Oracle Racing's Carbon 20

A little further, up in the heart of The City, I noticed a little more multi carbon blasting around The Bay. Sure enough, a small fleet of A-Class cats formed seemingly overnight. The A-Class has fluctuated wildly in the past 5 years or so, from a max of around 15 boats within the region, to now, less than a handful of active boats. Jeffery told me that the Oracle Team, “Decided that A Class are a simpler, easier option for impromptu outings as it only takes one person to rig.” So I’m sure that we can expect to see more small multis joining the fleets around The Bay.

Oracle Racing has a tradition of using small multis for training. During the last Cup Cycle, Oracle Racing used a matched set of Hobie Wild Cats. The original idea was not only to allow their sailors to be able to check out the nuances of a new sailing venue on a smaller boat, but was also to help their engineers understand how a catamaran works in an effort to aid in the design of their larger multis.

Perhaps the greatest anomaly in the Bay Area multihull fleet, is the recent addition to Mr. Philippe Kahn’s armada, a nice shiny Hobie 16. Most recently known for blasting across the ocean on a “Waikiki 70”, Kahn decided to explore the several small boat fleets, including the Laser. And, of course, the Laser and the Hobie 16 are two of the largest One-Design fleets in the world, and are very active locally.

Rumors abound that there will be several more multihulls joining Bay Area Fleets very soon, especially a couple of carbon beasts in the 33’ range. Stay tuned for more on that.

With all of the multi action in The Bay area these days, you would think that the manufacturers of smaller cats would be all over trying to snag their piece of the AC pie by trying to coordinate their efforts and run complimentary events. And what about the Youth aspect of the AC? The smaller boats are perfect for the younger contingent. They could run events like the Prosail 40s did back in the late 80s, with Hobie 21s racing along the 40’ beasts. Put the youth on a couple of F16s and make an exhibition out of it! The Extreme 40 Series does something very similar to what the Prosail events did, but instead of multihulls, the youth sail 49ers.

If I were Nacra, Hobie, AHPC, etc., I’d be on the horn with the ACEA every waking hour to try and coordinate an event with them. And vice versa, it would probably work out pretty well if the AC courted small cat fleets in the areas where they race the 45s. Who knows, maybe there’s something in the works? With the fever spreading, if the manufacturers fail to seize the opportunity from the interest in multi sailing that has developed around the AC, their marketing teams should look for other work.

Whatever the reasons for the lackluster acceptance of sailing here in the US, we can’t downplay the fact that the America’s Cup is putting in some serious effort to bring sailing into the spotlight of the mainstream. The technology that is being developed by ACTV is astonishing. In San Diego, the ACTV compound was housed in an enormous bank of shipping containers, and occupied the entire end of the Navy Pier. There was an armada of camera and photo boats, multiple helicopters buzzing around, announcers, massive amounts of computer gear, big screen TVs, and it was all being broadcast on the web. There are several cameras that the AC uses, that are so high tech, that they have to be shipped as individual components so as to not raise the ire of Homeland Security. If one could just throw money and technology at sailing and make it successful, the ACWS event in San Diego would have won in a big way! Well, to find out if their city is going to win over the next few years in their partnership with the America’s Cup, an entourage of SF City employees, on a fact-finding mission to San Diego during the ACWS, found out some facts all right. From the sounds of it, the facts that they found were a bit surprising.

Unfortunately, these visiting San Francisco city officials had a moment of clarity as they toured the sparsely populated America’s Cup Village in San Diego, and pondered the high-priced drinks, and costly access to the viewing areas. The crowds weren’t as large as they had hoped, or were led to believe, and someone even uttered the word “Boondoggle”. As San Francisco Police Chief James Dudly was getting ready to leave early from San Diego after assessing the AC’s crowd control strategies, he was quoted on Local Bay Area ABC7, saying, “It’s game time. Boats are on the water and we’re not seeing the throngs of crowds that we had expected…I actually planned to come earlier and stay later, but there’s really not that much going on.” Ouch! Peter Albert, the San Francisco MTA deputy director of planning who made the trek down to San Diego, was quoted in the same article, and had a similar response as Dudly, ”Well it’s easy to look at this and think, ‘Wow, maybe did over plan?’”

ACWS San Diego

The rubber hit the road in San Diego. The marketing, lobbying and hype was instantly quelled for these SF City reps with a dose of reality. They found out first-hand how sailing is received in the States, and that it really isn’t easy to promote a sailing event here. Any one that’s tried it on any level, from Optis to, now the ACWS, understands that. But did the AC alphabet miss several opportunities to promote the ACWS in SD that would have piped up their attendance numbers? Probably. Two blocks from the event site, there was absolutely zero evidence that the ACWS was even taking place. Mention of the event on local radio, television and in print was virtually nonexistent, other than a few news stories. I had several people from SF comment that they saw more advertising in the Bay Area for the ACWS in San Diego than they did in the city of San Diego itself. A media blitz running a few weeks prior would’ve most likely done wonders, but was sadly missing.

Albeit, the ACWS in San Diego was the first event of its kind to be run in the US with this level of coverage, technology, and world-class sailors, so low attendance is to be be expected. Still, the crowds in San Diego were estimated to be around 80,000, and in comparison to the attendance of the much more low-tech Extreme Sailing Series event in Boston last summer, estimated at 50,000, the dollar spent per spectator for the ACWS must be astronomical. Newport will surely be a more accurate litmus test of things to come, and when the ACWS comes to SF in August, I think we’ll see some serious support, a sentiment echoed by Phil Ginsberg, General Manager of SF’s Recreation Dept, who was also quoted in the ABC7 piece, “I think what you see today is a far cry from the excitement that will be generated on San Francisco’s Bay.” I feel that the Bay Area has a fairly strong sailing-centric populace, and that the “throngs of people” will indeed show up. I’m optimistic.

And as far as the ACWS being required to be monetarily self-sustaining, especially on this side of the pond, I think it may be an impossibility, but does it really matter to Larry Ellison? I doubt it. I’m sure he just views the outflow of coinage as an entertainment expense. It’s the monetary equivalent of you or I going to a movie.

Check out the local Bay Area ABC7’s report in its entirety.

Back in June, Team Surf City had the opportunity to sail aboard a magnificent ship. We left the GGYC dock in the light morning breeze aboard the 139’ America headed to tour the Central Bay and then under the Golden Gate. This America is a replica of the boat that won the ‘One Hundred Guinea Cup’ in 1851, a race that was later renamed the ‘America’s Cup’ after the name of this fine yacht. The replica, America, built in 1995 to the tune of $6 million, is absolutely beautiful. The teak decks, bright-work, and giant tree trunks for masts tell the story of the bygone era of the age of sail, when sailing fast didn’t just give the skipper and crew bragging rights, it meant getting your goods to market that much faster than the next guy. The details are stunning; from the myriad of bronze trinkets and custom fittings, on down to custom wood Harken ‘America’ blocks that bling-up the rigging.

We entered the Central Bay, hoisted all of the cloth, and headed upwind toward The Gate, when off in the distance an ominous black-hulled racer with a giant rig appeared and motored up along side. USA 76, the 85’ beast that was built for the 2003 America’s Cup, threw their fenders over as our skipper on America hoved-to and our crew tossed them a line. My friend Ellen grabbed my arm and said, “Let’s go.” The last thing that I expected that day was to be photographing from the deck of USA 76, and what a treat it was!

After being helped aboard with all of my camera gear, I picked a nice spot on the aft deck and wedged my foot into the carbon tube superstructure to get a good stable spot to start firing the shutter on my 5D. Brad Webb, bowman for BMW Oracle Racing, welcomed us aboard, and his crew untied 76 from America. We were off! The crew hoisted the giant main up the 115’ rig, then the jib, and the excitement mounted. The instant that they sheeted, it was obvious that we weren’t aboard your usual 5ksb, or even a thoroughbred racer for that matter. USA 76 hooked-up and settled into a groove upwind like no other boat that I have ever sailed. The boat heeled slightly, it had a gentle ‘big boat’ motion, and just freight-trained up so much that I actually got goose bumps. The boat didn’t even feel the wind-chop, it just motored right through everything. Even when we got outside of The Gate and into the groundswell, the sucker felt like it was on rails, and all the while we were outpointing anything that I have ever sailed BY FAR! It is truly an incredible boat to sail, and everyone on board is encouraged to take the helm.

USA 76 is part of Brad’s latest endeavor on his long list of entrepreneurial and sailing accomplishments. He and businessman Troy Sears started a company called ACsailingSF, with the vision of chartering both America and 76 for tours around The Bay. 76 can carry up to 20 guests for anything from tours corporate team building events; the program is completely tailorable to the charterer’s needs.

As we exited The Gate, Brad was moving all over the boat like a 6 foot hummingbird, and I could tell that he was a bit nervous to have a boatload of the general population aboard this incredible carbon machine. He was constantly keeping a sharp eye on safety, and reminding people to keep their fingers out of the sheets, runners, etc.

Something truly incredible that I witnessed, and I’ve seen it happen before with other professional racers of Brad’s caliber, he switched from cordial, happy-go-lucky boat host, to hard core racer in the instant of a puff. You have to be tuned in to see the subtleties, their words stumble, their eyes get steely with competition as they assess the puff coming up in 3 boat lengths, and they get really intense. One time, Brad stopped mid sentence while I was talking to him as he scanned the horizon. I could tell that he was playing out the chess moves of an imaginary sailboat race that was only in his head. Multiple times he called a puff or a shift that I’m sure no one else on board, no matter what their race experience was, was even remotely aware of. Brad snapped into racer mode several times during this jaunt, which for me, added incredible dimension and insight to this awesome experience.

What does it take to reach this level of competitive sailing? I had a little sit down with the man himself, and boy, did he give some insight! Friends, meet Brad Webb.

SCR
How long have you been living in the Bay Area?

BW
I’ve been coming here since 1996 doing the Citi-Bank Cups and the Big Boat Series. I compare it to Wellington, where I’m from, which is a windy place. There’s never a day where you’re waiting for the wind to come up. I love the feel of the place, I love The City, and I was always going to come back here. I met my wife Karen, who is a Bay Area native, during the 2003 America’s Cup in Auckland. That was a good enough reason to move here permanently. In 2003 I ran the sailing school at Inverness Yacht Club for the summer. Karen and I were married in 2005 and for the past eight years we’ve been off traveling with the Oracle Campaigns.

SCR
So you’re originally from Wellington, what did you grow up sailing?

BW
I actually started quite late in New Zealand terms, I didn’t get into a P-Class, which is the quintessential Kiwi boat, until I was 12. Nothing was handed to me, you know, I had to pay the thing off by mowing lawns and washing cars. I was a big kid, so I rolled straight into the Laser Radial, and started crewing with a buddy on a Javelin, which is basically a fourteen-foot skiff. Did that for a few years, and then started sailing keelboats.

I found a ride for the Kenwood Cup, and then joined Chris Dickson’s TAG Heuer Campaign in 1995. I put my head down and worked as hard as I could, because I really was extremely green when it came to Cup Boats. After that, I realized that even though I had that experience, my career wasn’t going to be handed to me on a silver platter, so I took off around the planet sailing as many boats as possible. From 1995 to the next campaign, which was America True in 1999, I was doing something like 26 regattas a year. Just going from one to the next to the next, and if I managed to make some money at the yard, or was paid for a gig, that money went into another air ticket to go to the next event.

SCR
So just sailing as many different boats as possible?

BW
Yeah, really! And just trying to find that balance between being social around my peers, but still being able to get up the next morning and find that next level, and really build on my skillset. I didn’t want to be just that average bowman. I had done a Cup, and I knew what it was going to take to get back there. I started doing a lot of match racing with whoever would take me, because I realized that that was the essence of the America’s Cup. In match racing you really are building up your skills, because in a match-racing event, you’re doing ten races a day. In a normal Cup race, you do maybe one race a day, and in that one race there might be a half-dozen maneuvers. When you’re doing ten races a day on the match racing circuit, you’re doing hundreds of maneuvers a day. So you really get your timing down, and you really learn how to work within a team. You learn to work very quickly and think many steps ahead, so that you’re not reacting, you’re planning. That was really how my career built up from fledgling to going to the Cup with America True. There is an element of luck, but you make that luck, because if you’re sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring, that luck isn’t going to happen for you.

SCR
What is the most challenging thing about being a bowman at your level?

BW
That’s a good question. A lot of times it depends on the boat, it depends on the crew. Your job can be made very, very easy by the guys around you, if they understand your job, and they understand what you need… By the end of the 2007 Cup, sailing on 98, we didn’t get to the finals, but our crew and our crew work was virtually flawless. That makes everybody’s job easier, because you know you’ve got somebody there to back you up, and everyone felt that way.

SCR
So communication; relying on your fellow crew?

BW
Yeah. And that just comes from sailing with each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s an America’s Cup or a Farr 40. If you know each other, and trust each other, and respect each other the job gets very easy. So to answer your original question, getting to that stage is the hardest part of the job. Everyone’s got a different personality, and a way of doing things, so it’s a lot of talking and compromise, it’s a long road to get to that point, but when you get there it’s sweet. At that point, there’s no yelling, there’s no screaming, barely a word is said.

Even when I think about the trimaran, it was the same. We spent two years trialing and testing, so we only had a month to get to that point in Valencia before the Cup. We had been so busy trying to make the boat go faster, we hadn’t had a chance to go around the course. In fact, the first time we did a full complete race was the first race of the America’s Cup.

SCR
It must have been really intense to just haul-ass on AC 17?

BW
It really was. You really have to stop yourself and look around, and remind yourself…The thing is, the minute that you step aboard that boat and drop the mooring off, everyone is on high alert, because you were sailing. Whether you were being towed out, with the wing up, you were sailing, so you’re always looking out. Is the wing in the right place? Is gear lashed down? Especially with the engine, you know, we had a lot of power. We were always making sure that we knew what winches were engaged, and what is connected to what, if the hydraulics were working, is the PLC doing what it’s supposed to. Are we ready for the next maneuver? Because you’re doing 30 knots, you’re next thing is going to happen very quickly.

SCR
Let’s switch gears a bit. Let’s talk about USA 76. I’ll tell you right now, I’ve been onboard a lot of race boats, but never one like that. It was really incredible to watch you go from tourist mode to race mode when we started to power up.

BW
Yeah, I have to catch myself sometimes, because you start to look around and try to figure out how to go faster. Now we’re doing this, that’s not the focus. I have to make sure everyone’s having a good time, and make sure that everyone’s had a go at the wheel. Are all hands off of the mainsheet and the runner? You still get that flutter, that thrill, like you said, OK we’re locked in and we’re going. And those boats are so cool. Even with the experience of the tri, There’s still nothing better, I think, than a Cup Boat locked in going uphill.

SCR
I couldn’t believe how that thing climbed.

BW
Yeah, they really go. We actually have the trim-tab on the fin, but it’s locked because of the partitions that we’ve had to put in for the Coast Guard it’s hard to figure out how to lead the controls to the wheel. Right now there’s quite a bit of weather helm. I’d like to figure out how to make them useable, because it’s a pretty cool tool to use. Then you’d really see the boat go up wind. You just put 4 or 5 degrees of trim tab on and you watch the track behind the boat, and we’ve got a touch of leeway, not much it’s still efficient. But you put a little tab on and you see the boat just have negative leeway. You’ll still be going upwind at 10.2s.

SCR
What’s the goal of ACsailingSF?

BW
The inception was, after we won the Cup, 76 was sitting on the hard in Valencia, and there’d been talk of sailing her again for one of the Louis Vuitton events. I knew that boat pretty well, and I knew that it was going to be a big task to put that thing back together to go racing. Then, we were there doing the media trials for the RCs and the X40s, and a light bulb went off in my head, and I thought that even if San Francisco doesn’t get the bid to host the cup, SF should have some type of America’s Cup attraction. I mean, every city in the world that has ever held the America’s Cup has some sort of touch/feel legacy there for locals, guests, tourists. So I started to look at utilizing 76.

I knew the boat was solid. You know, we used 71 a lot as our tune up boat, now she’s in the pond over at Oracle. She’s a great boat, but she really got driven hard. I found out that Troy Sears was looking at 76 as well. He has the operation in San Diego with Stars and Stripes and Abracadabra. It just made sense to me that if I was going to do something like this, that I would want to do it with someone who had been successful. So I got on the phone with him, and we started chatting, and it became apparent that we had pretty much the same idea

SCR
What has been the biggest challenge so far?

BW
The biggest challenge so far has been finding a venue with enough depth and still in a visible location. We had meetings with Port of SF and Pier 39 and they originally didn’t have a spot for us. After assessing several other places, Pier 39 came back to us and said that they had a spot in the corner of one of their marinas that stays at a depth that we’d be pleased with. We did our own soundings and investigated what it might take to build the infrastructure. We’re getting a lot of help from Pier 39, they want us there, and we want to be there. It’s a great spot.

SCR
Will you do team-building events and tours?

BW
We want customers, from the general public to corporate, to tell us what they want. It’s really all about that we’re providing something very unique. It’s all about your experience; you can build it however you want. A classic example happened last weekend. Several people cancelled, but one couple showed up and just wanted to go sailing (Editor note: Anarchist CarbonComposite and Mrs. CC) so we looked at them and said, ‘it’s your boat, go where you like’. They were at the helm for about 3 hours. It’s there for people to use. We want to take sailing to the masses.

SCR
Is there any truth to the fact that you bought USA 76 for $1?

No comment. (Laughs)

SCR
Last question. Let’s talk about the 45s. How do you compare them to any other boat that you’ve sailed?

BW
They are faster, more fun and definitely more physical than anything else out there. They are full-on for the crew, and the 72 foot version will be another step up. The plan to have a ton of cameras on the boats is really going to allow viewers to experience the action and get a feel for how much is going on during the race. Each match is only going to be 45 minutes or so, so it’s going to be an absolute frenzy.

SCR
Thanks for the chat, brotha.

BW
Thank you.

Check out the ACsailingSF web page and like them on FB for more info. More pics here.

Tom Carter, who worked with Bill Lee for almost 30 years, looks through some old negatives of Magic.

Signed Moore Poster from 1986.

Original poster from SC to SB race 1974.

Original water color of imp by Skip Allan.

Name this boat.