Americas Cup information

[Riptide]

Coast Guard proposes for months of the 2012 and 2013 sailing seasons, here:http://www.d11.uscgnews.com/go/doc/823/469899/
Click on "Coast Guard announces publication of a proposed special local regulation for the 34the America's Cup", scroll down to the diagrams of the regulated areas. So that's the restrictions we might see on the water The public may obtain a copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for AC34 and submit comments at www.regulations.gov docket number USCG-2011-0551. There is a 90-day public comment period which ends on April 30. Three public meetings concerning the proposed special local regulation will be held at the following locations and times:

March 6, 2012 - Presidio Log Cabin, 1299 Storey Ave., San Francisco, CA 94129

March 7, 2012 - Inn Marin, 250 Entrada Dr., Novato, CA 94949

March 8, 2012 - Waterfront Hotel, 10 Washington St., Oakland, CA 94607

Meeting times are 6-8 PM

[rigatoni]

The proposed restrictions are from noon-5pm. There is no way they need those 5 hours. The racing will most likely be done by 3:30pm and the approvals should reflect this time and not 5pm. Our comments should focus on this issue.

[gerritt]

The restrictions are only up on race days and based on the below quote would seem to allow for passage through the restricted area:

said Capt. Mathew Bliven, Coast Guard principal coordinator for the 34th America’s Cup. “We want to ensure that ferries, fishing vessels, and other commerce continue to flow and meet their schedules on race days. This regulation also reserves an area near Crissy Field where swimmers, rowers, and kayakers can safely enjoy the race and the Bay.”

As I read it, they are going to allow passage through the restricted area to the shipping lanes. So long are you don't play in the race lanes, you can still sail. Anyone who attends the meetings should seek clarification on this point and request that the timetables be flexible in allowing the restrictions to come down as soon as any races are concluded for the day.

12 races days in 2012 isn't so bad, but 45 race days in 2013 with a larger restricted area will put the hurt on SF sailors.

[dvCali]

This is what you get when you let billionaires have their way. The script is almost text-book trickle-down economics, and it is actually an almost perfect metaphor for the last 30 years of policy in the U.S..

Instead of having the people deciding how to redistribute and investing money for the common good using the democratic process, one let corporations appropriate the common good and then hopes that somehow the rich and powerful will give us some crumbs.

Results? No new access at Treasure Island, probably long term changes at Crissy (include parking meters), limited sailing for two seasons ... but we get the freedom to pay tickets to go watch a sailing match between two corporations.

They get the parties at custom made new Piers, we scramble at laughable "town-meetings" to plead for a tiny bit more crumbs ... It might be time to start an international campaign to fight this, let's see what final decisions are.

[rigatoni]

dvCali-Why does this have to become a political rant of us versus them? Watching the races will be a fantastic experience and get a city surrounded by water on three sides, excited about sailing in general.

I think there are a lot of opportunities to effect long term improvements at places like Crissy Field and Treasure Island as a result of this event. If the races are finished at 3:30 or even earlier, the impacts on Crissy will be manageable.

[mac]

Gerrit--they won't, as of now, let us sail through or over the top of the course. But the game is far from over.

[windfind]

I was in San Diego doing the America's Cup forecasting for the 11 days of that leg of the preliminaries this fall. Here is what I saw re. public access from our 14 story forecasting office and from the viewing area.

On the pre-race days the AC boats were zooming around the course doing practice runs however other sail boats were allowed all over the course. Remember even these "practice" 45 footers exceed 20 knots in 8 knot gusts so regular vessels are like rubber duckies for them to zoom around. On those pre race days windsurfing should not be impacted in San Francisco. But if you are windsurfing around these beasts, especially the 72 footers when they arrive, remember that they can be in the distance plodding at 8 knots and in seconds be screaming towards you at 25 knots in a tiny gust.

On each actual SanDiego race day there were several races. Before and between races private boats again were allowed all over the course. There were tons of helicopters, chase boats, police, Coast Guard, film boats, rescue jet skis and dirigibles around all the AC boats so it is easy to see when a race was starting.

There are still several other pre-San Francisco legs in Europe and the USA before this summer so I will update as the impact on private access becomes clearer. But based on what I have seen so far it looks to me like windsurfers will be able to launch at times from the beach on race days. However once a race starts you could be stuck either way outside or on the beach. Incidentally due to a wicked fast speeds the races are short.

Also I learned in doing the San Diego forecasting that these boats can fly with one hull 30 degrees out of the water in 8-10 knot winds. And things looked really scary when there were gusts to 15 knots. This means that many races could he held on days too weak inside for windsurfing and conversely the races could be canceled on the windiest "best" days for windsurfing.

So there is hope for low impact but you should petition to deter any major impact.



Mike Godsey

[keycocker]

Thanks Mike great post.

[jse]

[usa4]

Riptide-
I'm all for the community meetings but try taking a look from another point of view.
This is the biggest sailing event in the world being held in our own backyard.
I for one am extremely excited at the possibility that our tiny sport of windsurfing and kiting will be enhanced by the AC circus.
We are already talking about having the formula and kite world championships at crissy before the finals next summer. Without the media or sponsorship from the AC this would never be possible.
The AC 45s and 72s represent the most technologically advanced sailing craft on the planet with the best sailors in the world. We should be welcoming them with open arms.
Sure it may be an inconvience for a few hours a day on race days but how often do you sail at 1pm in the afternoon. Like most of us we show up at 4-7 and sail for a few hours.
There's bound to be tons of trickle down effect on our sailing communities as well as permant improvements at places like the TI launch. Look at what the AC did for Valencia in the last cycle. The urban improvements to the city was worth the price alone.
Regardless of who is funding this- improvements to our urban infrastructure like the piers often come at a price but compare that to the the cost of doing nothing and letting the piers fall further into disgrace.
Yes you may be inconvienced for a few hours but think of the greater good the AC will have on the sailing and urban environment of SF.
It's really in our best interest to give them our support as the lasting effects will be far greater than missing a few sessions.