SIGHTINGS america’s cup pre-announcement In the last hours prior to this issue of Latitude 38 going to the printer, we’d been staring at our inbox, waiting for a (hopefully happy) email to arrive from BMW Oracle Racing. Although we wouldn’t decline, if invited, to sail on the first AC 45, that’s not the message we were waiting for. Rather we were expecting one that, by the time you’ve read this, has since announced where the heck the next America’s Cup will be held. Alas, it didn’t come by the time these pages were wrested from our desktops. Why were we waiting for that announcement when the team said their deadline was the end of the year? On October 18, BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts was quoted in an interview on TheDailySail.com as saying that the host city would be selected by the end of the month — not the end of the year, as the team had been hedging since announcing their timeline for AC 34 in Rome back on May 6. However there is still some very excitYou probably already know if San ing news to report. Terry Hutchinson will Francisco is hosting the next Cup. be taking the multihull plunge with Swede Torben Tornquist’s Artemis Team under CEO Paul Cayard. French multihull masters (and brothers) Loïck and Bruno Peyron also announced they’re game, signing up with a French/German team. Depending on who you talk to, its either fortunate or unfortunate that the UK’s Team Origin has decided that multihulls aren’t worth the bother and turned up its nose toward the event with a transparent provincialism, suggesting they were just one Cup cycle too late in life. Let this be our pre-after-the-fact prayer that, indeed, by the time you read this we will be recovering from our celebration hangover. — rob
leukemia cup gives back Following two record-breaking years in decidedly rosier economic zeitgeists, the San Francisco Bay’s Leukemia Cup Regatta had a high bar to clear to improve on the amazing fundraising it’s done in its five-year history. Held October 1-2, this year’s event eclipsed last year’s staggering fundraising total by almost $34,000 dollars, a feat in itself, but even more so when you consider that last year’s raised $655,000. And by the time you read this, it might have cracked the $700,000 mark! While the San Francisco YC-hosted event is, of course, a regatta, the highlight of the weekend has traditionally been Saturday night’s VIP dinner, and this year was no exception. Although he followed on the heels of some pretty heavy-hitters — Rupert Murdoch in ‘08 and Al Gore in ‘09 — BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts proved to be just as big a draw. “Russell was amazing,” said dynamo event organizer Robin Reynolds. “I think all the women have a new crush, and all the guys have a tremendous amount of respect for him.” In his address, Coutts — speaking at the behest of US Sailing President and leukemia survivor Gary Jobson — didn’t drop any hints about what everyone wanted to hear, namely that the next Cup match would be held on the Bay. But given that the evening wasn’t just about sailing, he did attempt to put the sport in context. “I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say it’s a fantastic idea to combine the sport we share with support for the people you care about so much,” he said. “You hear the word ‘hero’ a lot in connection with continued on outside column of next sightings page Page 76 •
Latitude 38
• November, 2010
a guide to Whether you’re a new cruiser heading south of the border for the first time or an old salt who’s been cruising Mexico for a decade, cruiser nets are essential for staying up-to-date on weather, local events, and other news. Here are a few that you should plan on tuning in to: • In San Diego, the local cruisers’ net is run by Downwind Marine on VHF Channel 68, daily 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Foiled again! Though Russell Coutts said the AC34 host city would be announced before the end of the month, he didn’t promise the announcement would come before the end of our editorial cycle.
