Naples Celebrates Hosting of America’s Cup World Series
Naples, Italy, 17/10/2011


© Garofalo/ Purini


Event comes to Naples April 7-15, 2012 and May 11-19, 2013

Event organizers came together today to celebrate Naples’ successful bid to host the America’s Cup World Series, an event that will bring the top sailors in the world to Italy in April 2012 and May 2013.

The race village will be in Bagnoli, a western, seaside district of Naples that is undergoing significant regeneration. The America’s Cup World Series events are expected to accelerate and contribute to that process.

Paolo Graziano, President of Naples Industrial Union and CEO of ‘ACN srl’, the NewCo in charge of the event, said: “Naples is in the process of renewing its image. To do this, you must set high targets and the America’s Cup World Series is the perfect event for us. The two events we have secured will bring resources to Naples and draw international media attention. This agreement is an important step to re-launch Naples and the Region of Campania.”

A consortium of authorities has been aligned to deliver the events, including the Region of Campania, the Province of Naples, the City of Naples and Unione Industriali Napoli. All parties are looking forward to spectacular sailing at two events that will deliver a high impact for the city of Naples.

The event will give the Italian public, which has enjoyed a passionate history with the America’s Cup over the past 20 years, an opportunity to watch the world’s top sailors compete in the state-of-the-art AC45 wing-sailed catamarans. The April 2012 event will be the first time the high-tech boats will be raced in Italy.

Richard Worth, Chairman of the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA), said: “We are very supportive of how the city is planning to use the America’s Cup World Series to help drive the regeneration of the district of Bagnoli. All of the local authorities have demonstrated a deep passion for the City of Naples and in bringing the events to the region. We are confident that Naples will deliver outstanding America’s Cup World Series events, attracting many thousands of visitors to the city, to the benefit of the entire region.”

The first AC World Series - Naples is scheduled for April 7 to 15, 2012, while the dates in 2013 will be one month later, from May 11-19. The 2013 event is currently scheduled to be the final AC World Series stop before the teams head to San Francisco for the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup Finals, meaning the champion of the 2012-2013 AC World Series season will be crowned in Naples.

The AC World Series features tight, short race courses designed to deliver close racing for the fans on shore as well as the online and TV audiences. The innovative regatta format includes a mix of speed trials, head-to-head match racing, and all-out fleet racing with 9 identical AC45s on the line. These events provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.

The forerunner to the next generation of America’s Cup boats, the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran is the official boat of the AC World Series. While capable of closing speeds over 35 mph, the AC45 remains nimble enough to handle the tight, tactical race courses planned by America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM).

Quotes:

Luigi de Magistris, Mayor of Naples: “The rebirth of Naples and its image will be helped by the two America’s Cup World Series events. It will be an extraordinary occasion for the city that not only represents a major sporting event, but will also be a driving force for economic development. It will promote employment and investment, tourism and trade, allowing the image of Naples to take off internationally.”

Luigi Cesaro, President of the Provincia di Napoli: “The America’s Cup is an extraordinary event that will help us return to the ‘ordinary’. It has to be the start, not the end, for us to aspire to become a Mediterranean capital. A change of gear and way of thinking, to re-launch an area where lack of agreement has often affected development.”

Stefano Caldoro, President of Regione Campania: “We offer the best race course in the world for this exciting sporting event. This is a great success for Naples and (the region of) Campania. A result of formidable team work that will benefit the whole of the city and the region. With these initiatives we will also re-launch our image across the world. The challenge is on.”

Riccardo Marone, Bagnolifutura President: “I believe that the America's Cup World Series regattas in 2012 and 2013 are a great opportunity for the area’s development because they will allow us to unlock the necessary European funding to complete ongoing public structural operations in Bagnoli as well as to open the site of the first part of the urban park."

AMERICA’S CUP HEALTHY OCEAN PROJECT TO AMPLIFY NEED FOR OCEAN CONSERVATION
San Francisco, California, 17/10/2011

Driven by its commitment to have the 34th America’s Cup be “more than a sport,” the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) has set an ambitious goal with the AC Healthy Ocean Project to develop the world’s largest communication outreach program focused on improving ocean health. To accomplish this goal, ACEA has partnered with some of the leading voices in the ocean conservation field, including Dr. Sylvia Earle and her organization Mission Blue, OceanElders, Sailors for the Sea, One World One Ocean and IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Dr. Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer, Explorer-in-Residence at National Geographic and Global Ambassador to the AC Healthy Ocean Project: “As an ocean scientist and explorer with thousands of hours on, around and especially under the sea, I have personally witnessed a time of unprecedented discovery – and unprecedented loss. Half a century ago, it seemed the ocean was too vast, too resilient to be affected by our actions. Now we know: coral reefs, kelp forests, coastal marshes, numerous kinds of fish and other ocean wildlife have declined sharply owing to pressures we have applied. Dead zones have appeared. Oxygen-producing plankton is declining. The ocean is in trouble – and that means we are in trouble, too.”

The ocean forms one of the key operating systems of our planet. It creates more than half our oxygen, drives weather systems and modulates the atmosphere, as well as providing us with vital resources. Damage to the ocean is not as immediately apparent as terrestrial destruction, but it is just as serious.

Gigi Brisson, Founder, OceanElders: “The situation is now so severe that we are altering the chemistry of the ocean, with significant impacts on marine life and the functioning of marine ecosystems. Ecosystems are collapsing as species are pushed to extinction and natural habitats are destroyed. All of the stressors we have put on the ocean — from over-fishing to pollution — have contributed to its ill health.”

Scientists believe that there is still time to prevent irreversible, catastrophic changes to our marine ecosystems, but this requires drastic action within the next decade.

Carl Gustaf Lundin, IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme: “IUCN is very proud to have this opportunity to work with the America’s Cup to find better ways to locally conserve resources that will make a difference, as well as innovative ways to mobilize new resources for ocean conservation. The world has been discovering the oceans through the activities of sailors throughout the centuries, so it is really exciting that America’s Cup is partnering with IUCN and a number of other partners to help us better understand the oceans and create a legacy for future generations.”

Greg MacGillivray, Academy Award-nominated IMAX filmmaker and chairman of One World One Ocean: “One World One Ocean shares and supports the mission of the AC Healthy Ocean Project to raise worldwide awareness about the critical issues facing our oceans and, even more importantly, to motivate action for establishing greater ocean protections. We look forward to lending our skills as filmmakers, harnessing the power of motion picture entertainment, TV and new media, to tell the story of the ocean in a way that emotionally connects people to the ocean and inspires them to act positively on its behalf."

From public service announcements woven into America’s Cup broadcasts to visible identification on all America’s Cup boats and events committed to Clean Regatta standards, ocean conservation and environmental stewardship will be pervasive throughout the America’s Cup as it travels to global destinations over the next three years, beginning with the AC World Series and becoming more pervasive on the path to 2013’s Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup Finals in San Francisco.

Dan Pingaro, CEO, Sailors for the Sea. “The increasing pressure of global use continues to strain marine life and vital coastal habitats. Once considered inexhaustible and resilient, the ocean is actually finite and fragile,” said . “We believe by harnessing boaters’ profound passion for and understanding of the world’s seas, we can galvanize the sailing and boating community around ocean health issues. ACEA’s commitment to our Clean Regattas program and pledge to run the America’s Cup events with a strong commitment to ocean and coastal water conservation is a beacon to boaters and sailing organizations on the need to take action and effect change to protect this vital natural resource.”

Event organizers selected San Francisco as the launch city for the AC Healthy Ocean Project not only because the 34th America’s Cup will be held there in 2013, but also because the City by the Bay is already a model of sustainable practice.

“The America’s Cup Healthy Ocean Project provides an unparalleled opportunity to show the world that San Francisco Bay is more than just a beautiful view; it is a delicate ecosystem that directly relates to the health of the ocean,” said John Frawley, President and CEO of Aquarium of the Bay.

A consortium of Bay Area ocean and Bay health-related organizations are partnering with the AC Healthy Ocean Project to focus on opportunities within San Francisco Bay that will continue to showcase the Bay Area’s leadership in these issues. San Francisco Bay-based partners include the Aquarium of the Bay, the Marine Mammal Center, Mission Blue, National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA, Sailors for the Sea and Save the Bay.

“Working with local and international partners, the America’s Cup organization will inform people about what they can do individually and together to protect and restore health to the ocean. In so doing, there will be benefits for human health, prosperity, security – and our very lives,” said Dr. Earle. “There is time, but no time to waste. The race to restore health to the ocean is one we can’t afford to lose.”

The AC Healthy Ocean Project builds upon the work that ACEA has already begun in the areas of ocean conservation and sustainability, including coastal conservation activities and forums on issues facing our oceans at the first two AC World Series events this summer, as well as a commitment to organizing events that can be certified as Clean Regattas.

“The current reality is the majority of people don’t recognize the value that the ocean provides, nor do they recognize that the ocean is in trouble and needs their help,” said Neill Duffy, Director of Sustainability, ACEA. “Together with our global and local partners, we hope to change that fact and instead activate a global call to action – reaching those who have affinity and respect for our world’s oceans and motivating them to act in unparalleled numbers.”

Countdown to America’s Cup World Series San Diego
San Diego, California, 25/10/2011


© ACEA


The World’s Best Sailors to Compete November 12-20

In less than three weeks, the America’s Cup World Series (AC World Series) will land in San Diego, a location known for its storied history with the America’s Cup. The nine-day event will mark the third stop in the 2011-2012 America’s Cup World Series, a new professional circuit that has been attracting sailing fans and non-sailors alike with its next generation racing speed machines, the AC45 wing-sailed catamarans.

"We're really excited about the San Diego event. As an American, having a chance to race in the US is always something I look forward to,” said Terry Hutchinson, Skipper, Artemis Racing. “Having the race course inside San Diego Bay gives us the opportunity to show what we do to more people than ever before, so that's also a big bonus and for Artemis Racing, this is another chance for us to hone our skills against top competition as we work towards the America's Cup in 2013."

With multiple vantage points dotted along the shoreline, the city is an ideal location to host the thousands of AC World Series spectators anticipated to watch the first racing of the America’s Cup World Series in the United States. Creating a live-action setting where fans can watch is a key element of this new America’s Cup cycle, and the configuration of San Diego Bay is ideal. There is also a full range of hospitality options for spectators seeking a full-service experience, featuring the America’s Cup Club on the Hornblower Inspiration, which will have an unparalleled view of the sailing action right in the heart of the action with premium benefits.

“San Diego Bay is a prime location for this series because the boats race closer to the shore than just about anywhere else,” said Scott Peters, Chairman, Board of Port Commissioners. “The area of San Diego Bay where the races will take place is located in the heart of San Diego, in downtown. Downtown has more than 100,000 residents and workers and many of them will be able to just walk down to the waterfront to observe the races close up.”

Fans will be greeted by new boats, new formats and a whole new level of racing. As seen at the first two events, the athletes are tested through both fleet and match races as well as Speed Trials that put a premium on physical and mental strength.

Racing begins on November 12-13 with the Port Cities Challenge, an event supported by the Mayors of each of the Port Cities - Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego. The preliminary showdown will allow competitors to gain a feel for the venue and fine-tune their speed. The weekend will culminate on Sunday afternoon with the awarding of the Port Cities Challenge Trophy to the winning team by one of the Port city mayors. In addition to the racing, the America’s Cup Village will be open from 10am to 6pm offering a range of food and beverage and interactive activities.

After two off days, the San Diego Match Racing Championship begins on Wednesday November 16 with three days of racing leading into the Final Championship. The highlight of the event is the final weekend, November 19 and 20, where the teams will compete for the titles of AC World Series San Diego Match and Fleet Race Champion, as well as for the chance to put points on the board for an overall 2011-12 AC World Series win.

Off the water, fans will be treated to a variety of activities and entertainment options at the AC Village with live music every evening, access to sailing stars and interactive displays in a fun-charged festival atmosphere on shore, right at the water’s edge where the boats will be racing. The AC Village will be located on Harbor Drive and Broadway Pier, where fans can also visit ‘pit row’ and see the teams prepare for the day’s racing and crane their boats in and out of the water. The AC Village will be open from 10am to 10pm from November 16th to the 20th.

Entrance to the AC Village is a suggested donation of $10 to help support ocean conservation efforts. The America’s Cup has dedicated its global platform to raising awareness of the issues facing the health of our oceans worldwide and all proceeds of these donations will be split amongst the non-profit organizations who are partnering with the America’s Cup: OceanElders, Mission Blue, Aquarium of the Bay, Sailors for the Sea, and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Televised to expose millions more fans to the sport of high-performance sailing, the AC World Series is a regular circuit of regattas that will bring America’s Cup-level racing and experience to top international venues. At the end of each AC World Series season, a champion will be crowned. These events provide the fans the only opportunity to see all of the America’s Cup competitors racing together.

The AC World Series will be sailed in the AC45, the forerunner to the next generation of America’s Cup boats, the AC72. Focused on creating more on-the-water excitement for both the teams and the fans, the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran was designed for both speed and close racing. While capable of closing speeds of over 30 mph, the AC45 remains nimble enough to handle the tight, tactical race courses planned by America’s Cup Race Management.

For travel, transportation and San Diego information, please visit http://www.americascup.com/SanDiego.

anthonyC previously said:

dreadlocks previously said:

Cibaeno says

YAWN

at least he is still awake.