America’s Cup site confirms opportunities available to watch “Oracle Team USA” yachts

Posted on May 3, 2013 by warren

Visitors to San Francisco in July will be excited to know that the ‘defending’ “Oracle Team USA” will also be on the race course during this time.

This announcement on the official America’s Cup web site confirmed this today:

Throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup the defender, ORACLE TEAM USA, will also have access to the race course four days per week, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, sometimes sandwiched around the challengers’ racing.

This is great news for guests on our ‘America’ during our public / ticketed sailing and race viewing July through early August.

See our America’s Cup page for details of these opportunities.

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America at San Diego Yacht Club 2013 opening day

Posted on April 24, 2013 by warren

America SDYC open Day 2013

The San Diego Yacht Club always has quite a party during their seasonal sailing opening weekend. This year was no exception and as is usual our beautiful yacht ‘America’ was at the main dock for the day where at the official opening moment the crew raise our huge Stars & Stripes American flag. Of course you should always have your video camera ready when that happens. Accompanied by cannon fire and lots of gunpowder smoke this year’s flag raising was no exception…..just a really great few moments in time. Cannons and smoke were compliments of the Maritime Museum of San Diego vessel ‘Californian’, also at the main dock stern to stern with America’. What a great day!

Yacht ‘America’ really fly’s

Posted on April 24, 2013 by warren

Yacht ‘America’ sailing near the Golden gate Bridge in San Francisco

While out on a corporate leisure sail last friday afternoon in San Diego, our America raised the bar on her own personal speed record.

It may not seem fast when you’re driving on the freeway, but at 16.5 knots (20 mph) this huge 139 Ft yacht was really flying. If the truth be known the America’s reported best speed ever was 17 knots during her sail from Key West to Panama enroute to San Diego in 2006. She regularly achieves 13 & 14 knots during trips on the bay and ocean, and is definitely a thrill to be sailing on when reaching those speeds. While San Diego moderate breezes rarely produce 16.5 knot speeds, when the America is sailing in San Francisco for this summer’s America’s Cup races, you can be assured that 16.5 knots might just be a regular thing. Check our America’s Cup page for your opportunity to sail with us in San Francisco. Do so….and you could find yourself making this phone call: “I’m on the AMERICA….at the America’s Cup!”

July 10 – A friendly pelican joins our sail today on Stars & Stripes

Posted on July 12, 2012 by troy

Stars & Stripes

Ultimate America’s Cup Experience for corporate group in San Diego

Posted on October 10, 2011 by warren

With the weather so spectacular these last few days in San Diego it must have been an extra-special sailing experience for our corporate visitors yesterday. Using all 3 yachts we can provide up to 120 corporate guests a hands-on team building America’s Cup race on our two 80 ft yachts. Yesterday we conducted this event for just 26 lucky guests. Here’s the scoop….it depends on the guest count but typically we set out from our Maritime museum of San Diego dock with 2 teams on the race yachts Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra and the balance of the folks on the yacht America. The America makes part of the start line and those guests watch the race yachts fly across the line beside them, and then they follow up the bay to keep close to the action. The America is then one end of the finish line for the cheering and holloering that goes with winning the yacht race. We then change teams right in the middle of the bay as the 80 ft yachts tie beside the 139 ft America and we swap teams and prepare then for the next race. This transfer activity is incredibly unique and is itself a very memorable aspect of this event.

Stars & Stripes tied beside yacht America mid San Diego bay

On this occasion the group was quite small but regardless headed out to have a lovely lunch on the America followed by transfers to the two America’s Cup race yachts for one good race throughout the bay and ocean’s edge. This could certainly be labelled a unique team-building experience.

Corporate Group photo shot before heading out on yacht America

A lovely lunch spread on yacht America yesterday

After the racing they returned once again to the conforts of the America before heading back to shore.

Yacht America returning to dock after corporate event San Diego

Audience Flips to Catamaran Flip

Posted on June 17, 2011 by warren

America’s Cup enthusiasts around the world got a great glimpse on Monday of the sort of action that the new AC45 catamarans and the America’s Cup World Series will soon deliver.

AC45's high speed cross on San Francisco Bay just prior to one flipping

Oracle Racing on San Francisco Bay as seen from spectator yacht 'America' on June 16

While training on San Francisco bay Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts became yet another victim of the ‘learning curve’ required for these awesome new boats. A big flip seen around the world. Luckily nobody was hurt and the same yacht was back on the bay practicing again the very next day. Just some minor damage, a quick fix and back at it.

So much press about this turnover has fueled new interest by spectators, now more keen than ever to see how this new format works out. If this is the excitement generated by the 45′s I can’t wait to see audience reaction when the AC72′ appear.

See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjwY6O2zE0E&feature=topvideos_sports

America is VIP yacht for AC45 Cats demo

Posted on June 13, 2011 by warren

The 2 Oracle Racing AC45 Cats put on quite a display this afternoon as they entertained ACEA invited VIP guests on the America. All 3 yachts departed from the Golden Gate Yacht Club with media and dignitaries aboard. Mayor Lee of San Francisco took the helm of America for a period beside captain Troy Sears. The high tech wing sail catamarans flew across the bay with the typical San Francisco afternoon breeze.