America's Cup

**New3M** · February 14th, 2010, 02:29 AM

The US just won the America's Cup back from the Swiss.

How many people even knew it was happening?!?!

**Jolly Tar** · February 14th, 2010, 03:40 AM

They didn't JUST win it back, they JERKED it out their hands!
Second race had BMW ORACLE across the finish a full FIVE MINUTES and 25s ahead of ALINGHI.

**water** · February 14th, 2010, 08:28 AM

Geez, didn't Dennis Conner just loose it......?

**Naptownboy** · February 14th, 2010, 09:50 PM

Unfortunately AC racing has gone the way of the Dodo Bird. So sad for us competitive sailors. The days of excitement about the event, country v. country, watching it on TV and tracking it online are gone. Now it is hard to find simple coverage of it while it is happening. A non-Event. Like other professional sports it has been ruined by corporate sponsorship and money. Beyond where a boat is based and where it is sailed, it has moved completely away from any sort of country based competition. The skipper who beat us a few years back is now sailing our boat. Huh? Legal wrangling and battles far out doing the actual racing. My hope is that San Fran's Golden Gate Yacht Club will bring back the old days. At least bring back some sort of sane thinking and behavior about the whole deal. Tri's doing 30 knots? I guess I am old...or at least old school...!

**Captain Electron!!** · February 14th, 2010, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by Naptownboy

Unfortunately AC racing has gone the way of the Dodo Bird. So sad for us competitive sailors. The days of excitement about the event, country v. country, watching it on TV and tracking it online are gone. Now it is hard to find simple coverage of it while it is happening. A non-Event. Like other professional sports it has been ruined by corporate sponsorship and money. Beyond where a boat is based and where it is sailed, it has moved completely away from any sort of country based competition. The skipper who beat us a few years back is now sailing our boat. Huh? Legal wrangling and battles far out doing the actual racing. My hope is that San Fran's Golden Gate Yacht Club will bring back the old days. At least bring back some sort of sane thinking and behavior about the whole deal. Tri's doing 30 knots? I guess I am old...or at least old school...!

Agreed!! - I actually grew up at SDYC, and my dad ran very successful campaigns with our family boat.

I started sailing there at 10 and teaching sailing there when I was 14 . .

In fact I have a good story about duking it out with Denis on the dock there around 1974 or 75

. .

I vote for "Old Skool" . . Gimme' a "J-Class" Boat at 100 paces any day!

**New3M** · February 15th, 2010, 12:16 AM

It just didn't seem like the real AC this year. If I hadn't read an article in the NYT I never would have even known it was happening. And what's the deal with the boats? Cats, Tris...with wings for sails? Ballasting down the hulls? The commentator must have said "righting moment" about 100 times in yesterdays race. And I'm sorry...but a boat that goes 28 knots in 9 knots of breeze isn't what the America's Cup was all about.

**Azimuth** · February 15th, 2010, 12:39 AM

Originally Posted by Naptownboy

Unfortunately AC racing has gone the way of the Dodo Bird. So sad for us competitive sailors. The days of excitement about the event, country v. country, watching it on TV and tracking it online are gone. Now it is hard to find simple coverage of it while it is happening. A non-Event. Like other professional sports it has been ruined by corporate sponsorship and money. Beyond where a boat is based and where it is sailed, it has moved completely away from any sort of country based competition. The skipper who beat us a few years back is now sailing our boat. Huh? Legal wrangling and battles far out doing the actual racing. My hope is that San Fran's Golden Gate Yacht Club will bring back the old days. At least bring back some sort of sane thinking and behavior about the whole deal. Tri's doing 30 knots? I guess I am old...or at least old school...!

Nothing confirmed yet but I have read several articles where they are planning / hoping to revert back to monohulls next time around with the traditional elimination match races.

**Tim** · February 16th, 2010, 08:43 PM

Does Larry Ellison seem like a huge Douchebag Dweeb to anyone else?

**Naptownboy** · February 16th, 2010, 11:23 PM

Yes...just my opinion of course.. but so is Ernesto Bertarelli. I guess that is my problem with it all. This type of individual. The sport has been taken to the point where the only ones with enough money to participate are people such as these. Broad stroke of course but the big bucks guys tend to be egomaniacs and eccentric to the nth degree. The egos overcome the sport and take on more significance and have more impact than the boats, skills, and events themselves. As the joke goes:

-"What is the difference between God and Larry Ellison? God doesn't think he is Larry Ellison".