RBYAC: Tomorrow’s Sailors Today

By Christopher Caen, Huffington Post
This past Monday morning, we finally got to see the America’s Cup we had all expected. Standing at the back of pier on the San Francisco waterfront, the members of the press were introduced to the ten teams from eight countries that will be competing next month to win the Cup.

Groups representing Australia, Germany, France, Portugal and Switzerland were there in their gear, ready to sail. I for one cannot wait for them to hit the water and battle it out in their high-tech catamarans for the America’s Cup.

Well, not THAT America’s Cup.

The event that morning was for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup (Sept 1-4), the league of younger sailors who will likely race with the big boys in the next America’s Cup. Think of it as the junior league to The Cup. They “only” sail on 45-foot catamarans, which makes the proposition of entering a team less costly and results in more participation.

There’s no doubt that the cost of the 72-foot spaceships being used in this year’s America’s Cup have caused teams to stay away. Remember that the Bay Area Council estimated that 15 teams would participate in this year’s Cup, and it has turned out to be four.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup has no such limitation, and consequently has the international parade of boats that organizers hoped for the America’s Cup. – Read on

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