Valencia Spain

America's Cup Valencia

America's Cup Back in Valencian Waters

The America’s Cup returns to Valencian waters, after holding Acts 8 and 9 in Trapani. The Louis Vuitton Cup regattas are the ones which decide which of the challenging teams will have the right to compete in 2007 in the 32nd America’s Cup against the defender, the Swiss team Alinghi. The regattas of Act 10, which is a match-race, will be from the 11th to the 16th of May.  Act 11, which is a fleet-race, will be from the 19th to the 21st. Come to Valencia, and see the two regattas for yourself.

Team Alinghi,  BMW Oracle Racing, + 39 Challenge, Team Shosholoza, Emirates Team NZ, Areva Challenge, Luna Rossa Challenge, Desafío Español, Victory Challenge, Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team, United Internet Team Germany  and China Team are the teams taking part in the event. Ever since the San Diego regatta, the racing boats sailed are the America’s Cup Class, with room for 16 crew members.

This is the first time that the America’s Cup will be held in Europe, ever since the schooner America beat the English Royal Yacht Squadron in 1851. The story began when the businessman and founder of the New York Yacht Club, John Cox Stevens, was invited to the Great Exhibition of London in 1850 with eight of his friends. During that visit he saw the chance of taking part in the Hundred Guinea Cup, a traditional regatta around the Isle of Wight. On his return to New York, he commissioned the design and building of a 100-ton schooner which he named America.

On the 10th of July, 1851, the schooner America crossed the Atlantic at an average speed of 6.6 knots to enter the famous annual regatta. The race began and the schooner America got off to a bad start, but an hour and a half later it was among the leaders, and half-way through the race it was in first place, with more than two miles separating it from the boat in second place. In the afternoon, the American boat crossed the finishing line more than five hours ahead of its immediate pursuer, the Aurora.
 
The trophy became known as the America’s Cup in honour of the winning schooner, and ever since then it has remained in the hands of the Americans until 1983, when the Australia II won the prestigious trophy. Four years later, the Stars & Stripes reclaimed the cup for the San Diego Yacht Club and held on to it until 1995. That year Black Magic from New Zealand took the mythical trophy away from the Americans once again. New Zealand won the series in 2000 and again in 2003. It was then, 152 years later, when the Swiss Syndicate Alinghi won the America’s Cup from Team New Zealand. The rules insist that the challenger’s yacht club be located next to the sea, and so the Swiss Syndicate designated Valencia as the venue for the 32nd America’s Cup.

SPECTATOR BOATS
There are six public spectator boats. Two different companies are organising trips for watching the action on the race course live. Reservations: +34 625 565 067 - +34 963 816 066 - +34 607 306 455

For more information go to www.americascup.com