On New Year’s Eve 2010, the Golden Gate Yacht Club and America’s Cup Event Authority announced that the 34th America’s Cup would be held on the San Francisco Bay. Next to the Olympics and World Cup, it is considered the largest sporting event in the world, and aside from being an exciting event for San Franciscans, the America’s Cup also comes with the promise of an estimated 9,000 jobs and approximately $1.4 billion in direct economic worth for our city.

Given the race’s significant impact on District 2 (think Fleet Week times 10), I am going to periodically update everyone on the status of planning for the event, discuss new plans and announcements to get excited about, and highlight issues of concern.

I want to start by providing a brief overview of the actual races, and what to expect in District 2.

Schedule of Racing
For those not familiar with the America’s Cup, the final race to determine who will win the trophy will be held between two teams from Sept. 9–22, 2013 on the San Francisco Bay. However, the lead-up to the final Cup races will be just as exciting.

Starting in August 2012, the America’s Cup World Series will begin on the Bay. This series of separate races will then travel around the world during the fall and winter of 2012. Although the 2013 America’s Cup will be raced with 72-foot catamarans, the 2012 World Series will be raced with 45-foot catamarans that are identical to those used in the 2010 America’s Cup when Oracle Racing first won the Cup.

Racing will resume on the San Francisco Bay in summer 2013 with the Louis Vuitton Cup, which will be the first time spectators will see the 72-foot catamarans on the water. The Louis Vuitton Cup will be held from June through August 2013, and the winner will earn the right to challenge the Golden Gate Yacht Club’s Oracle Racing Team for the America’s Cup.

Racing Venue
Perhaps the most exciting part of the 2013 America’s Cup challenge will be the actual racing, which will take place right in the middle of San Francisco Bay. For the first time in America’s Cup history, races will not be held in open water but instead within the confines of the Golden Gate, providing an incredible viewing experience.

The start and finish line for the America’s Cup will be along the Embarcadero, just south of Pier 39. The race course will first point south to the Bay Bridge, then circle back along the north side of Alcatraz, turn around at the Golden Gate Bridge, and the final stretch to the finish line will be raced along the southern edge of the Bay.

Given San Francisco’s iconic waterfront, there will be some amazing spectator venues along the Bay from the Embarcadero, Bay Bridge and Treasure Island to places along the northern racing route such as Tiburon, Sausalito and Fort Baker, plus vantage points such as the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge, and of course all along the waterfront in District 2.

When the America’s Cup race course turns around at the Golden Gate Bridge, the America’s Cup boats will be racing toward the finish line along Crissy Field, Marina Green and Fort Mason, only 100 feet from shore and traveling at 30–40 miles per hour. It will be amazing!

District 2 waterfront venues will be some of the most incredible viewing areas, and race organizers are expecting a flood of spectators on race days. In addition, the America’s Cup race organizers are planning to use the Marina Green for both the press and additional hospitality events.

This will be incredible for our small businesses in District 2, and at the same time require a significant amount of planning to ensure that District 2 residents can still function in their daily lives. I have had several meetings with city staff responsible for planning the events to discuss my initial concerns about transportation, parking, etc. Recently I hosted the first in a series of meetings at City Hall with the America’s Cup staff and leaders of neighborhood and merchant associations in District 2 that will be most affected during the race. It is important to me that we start an early dialogue about how to make race days the best experience possible for everyone.

Getting Involved
If you have any interest in getting involved in the America’s Cup, there will be plenty of opportunities along the way, depending on your interests. From sponsorship opportunities for small businesses to volunteer opportunities for individuals, we are going to need as many people involved as possible.

I will provide future updates on these exciting opportunities, but let me highlight one opportunity for your input. On March 31, 2011, San Francisco published the “People’s Plan,” which outlines the city’s plan for transporting spectators and participants on race days. This includes bus and bicycle routes, street closures for cars, and many other aspects for shepherding individuals around our city. The People’s Plan can be found online at www.oewd.org. If you have the time, please take a look and submit any comments or concerns. The best comments and most influential suggestions to date have not come from City Hall, but rather from individuals in the neighborhoods that are going to be most affected. Every e-mail is read and discussed internally, so I encourage as many comments as possible – submit comments to [email protected].

My goal is to make sure that the America’s Cup is an event that everyone – both tourists and residents alike – will talk positively about for years to come. Although we must be prepared to accept that race days are not going to be “business as usual” in District 2, I will work diligently to address the concerns of our neighbors and merchants, and look forward to continuing an active role in making the 34th America’s Cup a huge success in San Francisco. 

Mark Farrell can be reached at 415-554-7752 or at [email protected]. Sign up for his quarterly newsletter by visiting the Board of Supervisors’ website at www.sfbos.org and clicking on Supervisor Mark E. Farrell and the newsletter link.