Sunday, August 26, 2012

Competitive yachting is "a little bit like H.O.R.S.E."

Competitive yachting:
When you win the America's Cup, you get to decide pretty much all the details about how, where, and when you get to defend the trophy. It's a little bit like H.O.R.S.E. crossed with Capture the Flag, . . . and lots of saltwater. After Ellison won the 2010 America's Cup, hosted in Valencia, Spain, he wasn't just interested in steering the ship, so to speak: Nope, he made like a nautical engineer and decided to redesign the whole thing.

He announced San Francisco as the host venue for 2013, but didn't stop there. He also announced the formation of a new organizing body and introduced a regatta circuit that would run during the two years leading up to the main event. Called the America's Cup World Series, it would determine challenger seedings next summer and, presumably, help attract sponsorships and publicity.

Ellison also made sweeping changes to the boats themselves