The 2013 America’s Cup is the first in the 162-year history of the event that will be sailed in the confines of a bay—San Francisco Bay—rather than miles offshore. It’s also the first time all competitors will race wing sail catamarans, the “50 mph flying boats.”
The astonishing speeds are possible because the 13,000-pound catamarans lift clear out of the water when hydrofoiling on specially designed daggerboards and rudders. The AC72 is capable of sailing its 72-foot length in a single second when the boatspeed reaches 43 knots (50 mph).
“I’ve been running races on San Francisco Bay for a dozen years, but there’s never been anything like the AC72s,” said Principal Race Officer John Craig. “They’re fast machines and they’re going to be thrilling to watch.”
For the parade the AC72 race boats will be under tow alongside their tenders, but with racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series, scheduled to start on Sunday, July 7, Friday’s ceremony along the city front provides a great opportunity to get an up-close look at the AC72s.
San Francisco’s reigning America’s Cup champion, ORACLE TEAM USA, will showcase its AC72 catamaran in the parade. Challenger teams Artemis Racing (Sweden), Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge (Italy) are also expected to participate.
Friday’s activities begin off Pier 14, at 11:00 am, with the ceremonial Parade of Boats, led by a fire boat from the San Francisco Fire Department.
The prototype and current America’s Cup designs will be represented in the fleet parade, with a replica of the schooner America, the winning yacht in 1851 for which the America’s Cup is named, alongside the AC72s of today.
The parade of more than 40 boats, which will also feature race management vessels, passes the America’s Cup Park, at Piers 27/29, and continues along past Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Fort Mason before concluding off the Golden Gate Yacht Club and the America’s Cup Village, at Marina Green, at approximately 11:45 am.
The America’s Cup crews will then show off the speed potential of the AC72s in time trials beginning at approximately 12:15 pm. Weather conditions permitting, the teams are expected to sail the five-leg America’s Cup course, starting at 10-minute intervals. The course starts off the Golden Gate Yacht Club and finishes off the America’s Cup Park, at Piers 27/29.
Fans can view the action on the video big screen in the America’s Cup Park, at Piers 27/29, or from multiple vantage points along San Francisco Bay, including the America’s Cup Village, at Marina Green.
On race day afternoons throughout the Summer of Racing, the America’s Cup Pavilion stage will showcase local performing artists free to the public. The Opening Weekend features five local bands with the first of these performances on Friday, July 5, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm.
The headliner act is New Diplomat, an American Alternative – Electronic Rock band. Featuring members from around the world, the band formed in 2010 and has since gathered a significant following, blending a combination of alt rock, indie pop and electronic music.
The opening act is The Five Hundreds, a San Francisco-based classic rock band that plays a mix of well-crafted original songs and high-energy rock and roll covers. And more local acts will be featured in the America’s Cup Pavilion over the first week of activities.
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