Doug,
My cut and paste might have sucked, but it did get you to post some great on
topic information.


"DSK" wrote in message
.. .
While I compliment your attempt to post on topic cut-n-pastes, this is
kind of poor.

Smithers one of 1000's wrote:
Leave it to the Swiss to try to reinvigorate and reinvent the America's
Cup.

The 32nd America's Cup
Returning to Europe for the first time in over 150-years,

The America's Cup was never held by any European country. The trophy
itself was offered by an English yacht club and won by the schooner
'America' in 1851. After lying around for almost 20 years, during which
time the owner(s) left it collecting dust in a closet, then considered
melting it down, then told a butler to throw it away (the butler
disobeyed), finally offered it as the 'America's Cup' to be awarded for
international sailing yacht racing 'to promote amity among nations.'

http://www.alinghi.com/en/32ndac/history/index.html

http://cbs.sportsline.com/sailing/americascup/history



There is an ambitious four-year schedule of regattas commencing in 2004,
each one a distinct Act in the drama of the 32nd America's Cup. The
climax will be the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match itself
in 2007.

A brief explanation might be in order, since so few people here would know
what the above means.

The America's Cup is a match race, in other words one-on-one competition.
This is a very different sport from racing against a fleet, because
maneuvering & tactics play a much bigger part against a single opponent.

I mentione earlier that the America's Cup is an international competition-
and as a match race, that means one yacht from a challenging country
against one defending yacht from the host country (or to be more precise,
the yachts represent clubs, not whole countries). The Louis Vuitton Cup is
the challenger's elimination series. In the past it was the Canadian,
Australians, New Zealand, Swiss, Italian, English, French, Swedish, etc
etc yachts against each other for the right to race against the American
yacht (from the New York Yacht Club 1870 ~ 1983). Now it will be the
Americans, Australians, New Zealand, Italian, English, French, Swedish,
Chinese, and South Africans racing for the priviledge of challenging the
Swiss.


Never before has the America's Cup consisted of such an ambitious
programme. For the first time, the America's Cup season consists of more
than just the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup Match.

These opening Acts will be a mixture of fleet and match races in a
variety of venues, and open to all.

This concept of a series of Acts is a big evolution for the America's
Cup. In the modern era, post 1958, the gap between competitions has been
as high as five years; a situation described by one notable Cup sailor as
being "rather a long time between drinks."

In an effort to make America's Cup racing a more regular feature on the
sailing calendar, the series of preliminary Acts has been developed to
ensure there is America's Cup competition in each year leading up to the
2007 Match. These Acts allow the teams to measure themselves alongside
their fellow competitors at each event, and keep race fans firmly focused
on America's Cup racing.

Each successive Act will take on increasing importance as the Match draws
nearer, and each is expected to be a ranking tool for the early rounds of
the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007.

What we currently think of as the America's Cup - the Louis Vuitton Cup,
and the Match itself - will be much shorter than what we've experienced
in the recent past. While these events were spread across five months
over the past four America's Cup cycles, they will be concentrated over
just three months in 2007, a short, sharp, intense period of racing.

Overall, the new schedule represents an important evolution for the
America's Cup. While the Cup season itself is much shorter, the leading
Acts ensure meaningful, dramatic, America's Cup racing takes place each
year, and allows the America's Cup to go 'on tour', visiting different
venues, and bringing the excitement and spectacle of this wonderful event
to new audiences.


And not only that, it will increase the value of the America's Cup (tm) as
a promotional event, making it more attractive to advertisers & sponsors.
Funny thing... there are a lot of other yacht races competing for
advertising/sponsorship dollars nowadays.

IMHO since there are 11 teams willing to raise the $15+ million it takes
to field a boat in this event, they should try to make it MORE expensive &
exclusive... in the past, there were only two or three willing/able to go
for it. What we have nowadays is a watered-down America's Cup


In 2007, the final Act will be an opening Fleet race, for all the
competitors of the 32nd America's Cup.

Which is really a distraction from the one-on-one match race elimination
series. But the fleet races are a grand spectacle. Frankly it's a shame
that they can't seem to get the IACC class (the Cup boats, an open design)
jump-started for competition outside the America's Cup, in the way that
the Twelve Meters always enjoyed.



Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.americascup.com/en/americ...cial/index.php


or
http://www.hickoksports.com/history/americup.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America's_Cup

Also, don't forget the Int'l Catamaran Challenge aka the Little America's
Cup, many people consider that more exciting.

Fresh Breezes-
Doug King