America’s Cup: Expectations are like a bubble

While the planning for the 34th America’s Cup was far from smooth, it was widely expected that whatever could be agreed upon between the organizers and the City of San Francisco, it would be a solid step toward something better if Golden Gate Yacht Club were to defend the Cup. The expectations were that the defense would be in San Francisco…

Expectations are like a bubble, a delight to the eye,
It brims the heart with a false hope that our anticipations would never die.

Expectations are like a bubble, rising high and high,
It shimmers more by every moment giving a promise, full of lie.

Now, however, the venue selection for the 35th America’s Cup, over six months after the successful defense, is unknown. This excerpt from Northern California publication, Bay & Delta Yachtsman, shares a sentiment from the region…

For many of us the circus has packed up and left town, boy has it ever! No sooner than the champagne stopped flowing and everyone from Oracle Racing USA (OTUSA) stopped self-congratulating themselves over their improbable, yet miraculous comeback last Sept. 25, than any remnants of the famed regatta remain. Not even a morsel of a crumb.

Here in San Francisco there is nothing, nada, nyett, at least in 2014 and probably beyond. The only tangible evidence that the America’s Cup was here are the fading billboards on the Embarcadero at the abandoned offices at Pier 23 or the decaying, once state-of-the-art trimaran that sits in front of OTUSA’s team base in the Dogpatch.

The once mighty America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) is down to a receptionist, a couple of bookkeepers and OTUSA’s marketing director.

I assumed (ass of me) that when the GGYC (Golden Gate Yacht Club) retained and defended the America’s Cup last fall that there would be some continuity with the event. I did not expect that the whole machine would be shut down except for (Russell) Coutts, who seems to be fashioning the Auld Mug into a similar mold as the Sochi Olympic rings. Hopefully he won’t morph into the Vladimir Putin of the America’s Cup.

Where is the GGYC in all of this? Don’t they want to host the event off their balcony again?

A reminder to Larry (Ellison), Russell and the GGYC, though: “It is distinctly understood that the Cup is to be the property of the Club, subject to the provisions of this deed, and not the property of the owner or owners of any vessel winning a match.” – George Schuyler 1887.

Complete story from April 2014 edition.

Editor’s note: The desires of GGYC appear to be influenced by defense team owner Larry Ellison. His long time employee Tom Ehman has been Vice Commodore since 2011, and himself along with employees Russell Coutts and Stephen Barclay are listed as Board of Directors.