America's Cup and Access to the Bay

[mac]

Re why in the Bay? Money. Real time coverage. Spectators to sell stuff to. Sports is part of the entertainment business. I don't like it either but...

There will be a process to determine under what conditions they get the rights from the Coast Guard. Stay tuned, hasn't happened yet. Can't be stopped, but can be affected.

[andydavis]

I want it to be held in the Bay. What I object to is the private, exclusive use of a public resource. Larry and the favored few will benefit from this and we, well, we get to watch...from a distance.

If I see a race, I try and stay out of their way...just being polite. Okay, I understand this is a big event and big money is at stake, so maybe there should be some legal prohibition against interference from zealous fans...we don't want some Swiss thugs in a speedboat "accidentally" interfering with the opposition. But if some idiot in an Islander 36 should blunder into a race...well, that's what real sailboat racing is.

What I anticipate is some idiot Sheriff running me down in the Circle because I'm out there fooling around a half an hour before a start.

[rigatoni]

I can see the headline now-"SF Windsurfers stop America's Cup. Ellison relocates the event elsewhere"

I don't have a problem with the event inside the bay and even temporarily losing access to Crissy but only if nearby launches can become more usable. SFBA should be using this opportunity to leverage funds to improve access at the two locations mentioned above. Some concrete steps into the water would make both of those locations a lot more user friendly.

[mac]

Well said Rigatoni, and that will be our approach. The impact on windsurfing and kiting is yet to be determined, really, and I think that pushing back gently, and listening, will help. If the box they choose (1 mile wide by 3 miles long) only covers Crissy a few days a week, or they are through by 4:00, then I don't think the impact is that great. If they insist on maximizing spectator areas and charging for it, with shoreline grandstands that would cost to get in, it might well eliminate windsurfing. They say that they are interested in doing it again, so they don't want to burn bridges and create bad blood, and I take them at their word.

For Andy Davis--the actual restrictions from about 11:30 on will be the racing box, 3 miles by 1 mile, plus a buffer of 50 to 100 meters. They will have large yachts at the corners and RIB's enforcing things, so folks will be turned back. But it might be entirely feasible to sail in from Marin, Berkeley, or TI, and watch the race from just outside the box. For television and marketing, they want to force the boats to cross and run laps to make it more than just a drag race.

I expect the World Series events in 2012 to be much like the Big Boat series--a good time to avoid Crissy, or at least the St. Francis, but not the mega-event with big time TV. The main event--the actual finals, will probably substantially impair access, but for a pretty short time.

[seablind]

Is there a possibility for Crissy Field mitigation? What about temporary storage for windsurfing equipment during the main weeks of racing, so that Crissy Field windsurfers could park elsewhere and walk or bike in and get to the water. I think there will still be plenty of opportunities to launch from Crissy if we can get to the beach. Temporary storage could be put at the far west end of the parking lot behind the dunes, or in the back parking area, so it wouldn't block spectator viewing areas for the races.

[mac]

Seablind--excellent suggestion!

[seablind]

Jim,
PM me if there's anything I can do to help. I'd be happy to get involved and attend some of those meetings.