RC44 Cup San Diego - Ready to do battle

by Dobbs Davis on 20 Feb 2011 Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego, March 2nd to 6th, is being sailed on San Diego Bay.

International high-tech sailing has been brought to the very front steps of downtown San Diego as nine RC44 Class yachts have arrived at the Broadway Pier in preparation for the Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego.

Tilted provocatively in their innovative shipping containers, these carbon fiber yachts will soon join two already launched to compete in a series of match and fleet race sailing on San Diego Bay March 2–6.

Featuring a 50-50 mix of the world’s top professional and amateur-level talent, this is the RC44 Class’s first event of their 2011 Season and the only U.S. stop in a tour which spans six nations. Numerous stars from sailing’s top events – the America’s Cup, Olympic Games, Volvo Ocean Race, and many World Championships – have spread themselves among 11 teams representing nine nations for this high-caliber regatta.

'The level and intensity of the competition is going to be greater than ever,' said 4-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, founder of the RC44 Class. 'It’s always great to race in San Diego, it will be a natural amphitheatre those watching from onshore. I’m looking forward to a great regatta.'

As a venue, San Diego will continue its long history of hosting world-class sailing events – the America’s Cup was first held in San Diego in 1988, then again in 1992 and 1995 – but with the racing taking place in the Bay it will be more accessible than ever. Unlike previous America’s Cups, the boats, the teams, the sponsors and all the organization for the Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego Cup will be based at the Broadway Pier and its brand-new Port Pavilion, with a Race Village planned for easy public access to all the activities of the event.

From Broadway Pier and other waterfront vantage points, spectators will get an unprecedented close look at all the action that comes from highly-competitive one-design racing. Racing will start daily at 11:30 AM and continue until the fleet returns to the Pier at about 4:30 PM.

As further enticement for attendees, event organizers from the Sailing Events Association San Diego (SEA SD) have forged partnerships with select top hotels along San Diego Bay and throughout the downtown Gaslamp area to offer special event rates for those planning a visit to San Diego for the event. These deals can still be found for a limited time only on the event’s website at www.oraclerc44cupsandiego.com.

For more information on the Oracle RC44 Cup San Diego, or to locate free public viewing areas, visit the event website at www.oraclerc44cupsandiego.com

For more information about the RC44 Class, visit the class website at www.rc44.com

About SEA San Diego
The Sailing Events Association San Diego is a leading sailboat racing events organization, positioning San Diego as a sailing destination city by bringing world-class sailing events to beautiful San Diego Bay. The Sailing Events Association San Diego is a 501©(4) nonprofit organization.

About the RC44

Four-time America’s Cup winner Coutts conceived the design of the light-displacement, high-performance one-design RC44 with naval architect Andrej Justin in 2005. It was created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.? The class is unique in that the crew is made up of 50 percent amateur and 50 percent professionals, with an amateur driver required for fleet racing. The class attracts some of the world’s top businessmen, along with the best professional sailors in the world. Top sailors who have competed on the circuit include: Volvo Ocean Race winner, seven-time sailing world champion, a five-time America’s Cup veteran Paul Cayard, America’s Cup helmsman James Spithill and a number of the world’s top match racing talent including Cameron Appleton, Terry Hutchinson, Kevin Burnham, Sébastien Col and Marcus Wieser.? Since its 2007 debut, the RC44 class has held regattas in Europe, USA and the Middle East, attracting substantial spectator interest and media coverage.? The racing format will be a combination of both match racing (one-on-one racing similar to the America’s Cup) and fleet racing (Olympic-style racing with all the boats on one race course). The RC44 class partners are: Oracle and SLAM (official clothes).