America's Cup- A visit to San Francisco's Pier 80
by Pressure-drop.US on 15 Feb 2015
Visit to Pier 80 Pressure Drop . US
The rumor that the Foiling AC 45 launch at Oracle Racing's base at Pier 80 was too irresistible and a ride over to Islais Creek in the Dog Patch was in order. Expecting to see the hustle and bustle of the shore crew's and racing team readying for some serious training, it was a bit of a let down.
The weather being exceptional for San Francisco for February and 10-12 knots of breeze in patches, there had to be some urgency to get the crews out prior to the Big Bermuda transit?
The only action we could find, were some of the staff, enjoying the brilliant sunshine and warm temps, as opposed to the meat locker cold that exists inside large metal hangars in the winter.
The tenders were in the water and two of the Phantoms rested on the dock. But what was obviously lacking was some sort of device to lower sailing craft into water. Where is the crane?
Once lousy with anchoring buoys, one solo float remains in the causeway...
The front of the building was stacked with container after container, ready for pick up and delivery to Bermuda...
The back of the building, is as dead as dead can be, but one small rickety pier and ramp remain.
With the massive West Coast labor dispute having ships, docks and trucks stacked up wall to wall, one wonders if process for Big Bermuda transfer has ground to a halt, and with it the ability to get the needed crane into the property for one additional training session? When speaking to one of the crew, the reply was ' Maybe next week, we'll see'
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