AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY • AMERICA'S CUP 34 SAN FRANCISCO BAY •
megayacht berthing seems spurious for a few reasons. First and foremost, while Ellison and the ACEA may end up with development rights to those properties, future development of those areas is still subject to environmental review, which is in no way included with the Host City Agreement for the Cup itself. King points out that the Rincon Park basin is the only one of 18 regatta-related sites that is "ranked 'very high' in terms of visual quality and sensitivity.'" In essence, the Cup's EIR is pointing out that the likelihood of further development of those areas is about as far from a sure thing as a definitive "no!" So it would seem that his contention that "it's embarrassing that city negotiators left such a large loophole in an agreement focused on other sections of the waterfront," is just plain wrong. If anything, negotiators have slowed it by making it come up for review as a matter of public record — twice! And that would sure seem to add some incentive for ACEA and Ellison to show the City its return on investment from AC 34.
ELLEN HOKE/WWW.ELLENHOKE.COM
AMERICA'S CUP 34
As part of their community outreach, ACRM spent a day cleaning up beaches; here the Bay's Norman Davant gets into the act.
There are other fundamental issues with the whole megayacht hubub that will probably make the question moot long before it ever gets to that point. First, there probably won't be a whole
lot of floating palaces here for the Cup, compared to the Auckland and Valencia events. The Bay is in kind of a megayacht "dead zone" along the West Coast (which compared to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean is a dead zone to begin with), roughly halfway between the Pacific Northwest and San Diego and Mexico. There just isn't much in the way of megayacht-type cruising grounds between these two areas. Even as Southern California's only offshore "destination," Catalina Island, for example, doesn't get much megayacht traffic. And the Bay? Well let's just say it's not very conducive to megayachting as its practiced in other parts of the world. As anyone who has sailed here knows, the larger the boat the smaller the Bay. There's very little navigable water for the various "destination" spots here like Tiburon and Sausalito. The Delta is not megayacht country, and once you're outside the Gate, there are few moorage options and cruising grounds in either direction. The Bay is gray and practically freezing
The Cup is coming – slips are going!
tly Recen d! e Dredg Making boating easier – and more fun! – is what Oyster Cove is all about. America's Cup boats are already here! Take advantage of Oyster Cove's great location. Near the races and practices, as well as SFO and mass transit, Oyster Cove is the private marina best for America's Cup convenience.
385 OYSTER POINT BOULEVARD #8A, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
(650) 952 - 5540
Page 90 •
Latitude 38
• September, 2011
• Berths 30 feet to 60 feet • Double Finger Concrete Slips • Five Minutes from SFO • Close to Mass Transit
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