The America’s Cup is coming to Anacortes Saturday, April 10

by Deborah Bach on 5 Apr 2010 Anacortes is a world away from the glitz and glamor of Valencia, Spain, but the decidedly blue collar, old-salt town can claim its fair share of the glory for BMW Oracle Racing team’s victory. After all, the stunning trimaran that set a new standard in sailing was built within a stone’s throw of the commercial shipyards and oil refinery that define this town’s shoreline.

And on Saturday, April 10, the town will finally get to bask in its share of the spotlight, when the winning BMW Oracle team brings the America’s Cup trophy to town for a public celebration.

When he trimaran was launched in Fidalgo Bay in August 2008, an awe-struck crowd looked on. 'It kind of blew everybody away when they unveiled it and dropped it into the water by crane,' Bunzel said. 'The scale of everything was just amazing.'

'We were very lucky,' Don Wick executive director of the Skagit County Economic Development Association said. 'Think about how many communities can ever say they produced an America’s Cup winner. It was built right here in our community, from the tooling to the final construction.'

The celebration next Saturday, April 10, will be held at the Port of Anarcotes Warehouse 4, at the foot of Commercial Avenue. There’s no cost to attend, and doors open at 7:30 p.m.

The BMW Oracle team will give a presentation at 8:00, including a video about the construction of USA and the race, and the trophy will be available to be photographed at 9:00. Wick predicted a big crowd for the event.

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