The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in all of international team sport. During it’s 164 year history, no competition on the road to acquiring it has ever been held in fresh water; until now.
Yesterday brought that announcement that Chicago will host the America’s Cup World Series of racing June 10-12th at Navy Pier. This regatta is a qualifier for the 2017 America’s Cup which will be held in Bermuda.
It’s a rehearsal of sorts. If this event goes smoothly, and a series of other factors comply, America will have a chance to host the big race in 2021. Chicago made a failed bid to host the next event, but if Team Oracle USA wins again (they won it all in 2010, successfully defended the title in 2013), then the United States gets to determine who would host the next America’s Cup.
“Chicagoans continue to prove their affinity for all sports and now they have the opportunity to add America’s Cup sailing to the list. We have no doubt that our amazing city, its residents and beautiful Lake Michigan will deliver the ultimate experience for the international sailing community.” said Desiree Rogers, Choose Chicago chair.
“Chicago is a world-class city, and Navy Pier’s lakefront architecture creates the perfect sailing venue to showcase the excitement of the modern America’s Cup,” said Sir Russell Coutts, America’s Cup Event Authority chief executive officer and five-time America’s Cup winner.
Chicago is very unique in that you have an ultra-modern cityscape of skyscrapers immediately juxtaposed along the shore lines of a very large body of water. Lake Michigan may as well be an ocean to the sailor and sailing enthusiast because of it’s vastness and depth. None of the other American cities with skylines on par or greater than Chicago reside on an ocean.
Don’t forget the wind velocity too.
All of this makes the race course, from Navy Pier to Northerly Island, the perfect picturesque staging ground for the biggest race in sail boat racing.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/643961376457756672
“When the international sailing world arrives in Chicago next summer, they will understand why Lake Michigan is called the third coast,” said Don Wilson, chairman, America’s Cup World Series Chicago.
The media were invited to ride along the same M-32 catamarans than are utilized in America’s Cup racing. We took a lot of amazing photos which you can view at our Instagram feed here and/or our Twitter feed here.
They tell you not to bring your valuables along the boat because you could easily lose them to the lake. Hence I left my video camera behind; which was a mistake. Luckily there’s video from the event, and the media sailing expedition linked here and embedded below via WGN-TV’s Amy Rutledge (@AmyRutledgeWGN)
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
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