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February 23, 2010

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HomeSportsSailing

San Diego eyes America's Cup

MAYOR Jerry Sanders made a personal pitch on Sunday to software mogul Larry Ellison to hold the 34th America's Cup in San Diego.

The two men met privately before a public ceremony aboard the USS Midway museum on San Diego Bay featuring the oldest trophy in international sports.

Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing won back the America's Cup for the United States a week earlier in Valencia, Spain, completing a two-race sweep aboard its space-age trimaran against two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

The Cup belongs to San Francisco's Golden Gate Yacht Club, BMW Oracle Racing's patron. Ellison said San Francisco was his first choice as the port in which to defend sailing's most coveted trophy, but that the city by the bay was no shoo-in.

Sanders said he can appreciate Ellison giving San Francisco the first crack at hosting the marquee regatta.

"But we really know we can do it better," Sanders said.

San Diego has hosted three America's Cup regattas, in 1988, 1992 and 1995.

BMW Oracle Racing spent 16 months testing its massive trimaran in San Diego before relocating to Valencia late last year. It was in San Diego where the syndicate first used the radical wing sail that gave the trimaran a definitive speed edge over the Swiss catamaran.

Ellison said making San Diego a stop on a victory tour also was a nod to the San Diego Yacht Club, the former Cup-holder that stood by BMW Oracle Racing during a bitter, 2 1/2-year court fight against the Swiss that preceded the Americans' stunning sweep.

Ellison said a decision about the 34th America's Cup will be made in conjunction with all challengers as the sailing community tries to repair the damage caused by the court fight, in which Ellison's syndicate triumphed.


 

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