ON THE BAY
America's Cup conversation continues

Published July 2011
By Jim Maxwell


Oracle Racing's Russell Couts and James
Spithill put the "race" in Oracle Racing as they
engage in a little match on the Bay – the boats
are designed to sail in winds of 5 to 30 knots
and be capable of surviving a collision

Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Fort Mason and the City's skyline provide a
dramatic backdrop to the speeding Oracle AC45s

Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Mayor Ed Lee drives the racing yacht
America on the Bay. The America is
a historic replica of the first yacht to win
the now-named America's Cup in 1851,
and is currently moored at the Golden
Gate Yacht Club.

Photo: Jim Maxwell

In mid-June, the Bay was abuzz with winged catamarans during the debut of Oracle Racing’s new AC45s here in San Francisco. Having undergone rigorous testing in New Zealand, the AC45s are getting set to race in the America’s Cup World Series during the next two years in preparation for the larger AC72s, which will be raced in the Cup on the Bay in 2013. After a week of wowing onlookers around the Bay, Team Oracle packed up their new cats and headed off to Cascais, Portugal for the first series of races being held Aug. 6–14. Here are a few pics of the team tuning up on the Bay.

Jim Maxwell has been sailing for 20 years and thinks there is no finer place to be than on the Bay. E-mail: [email protected]






























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