America's Cup World Series Regatta in San Francisco Bay

It gets a little crowded on the turn

 By all accounts the America's Cup World Series this week was a spectacular success and a great warm up to the America's Cup races we'll be watching in SF Bay next year. SF Chron:

"Standing along the waterfront on Sunday, Dan Rummel, 31, who sailed competitively in college, explained to his friends the tacking and jibing, covering and hull flying going on in the waters of the San Francisco Bay in the final day of the America’s Cup World Series. His friend Adam Flagg, 29, visiting from Austin, Tex., listened and watched. As the 11 teams on 45-foot-long catamarans sliced through the choppy waters close to shore, Flagg had a decidedly non-technical take on the fleet and match racing. “Awesome,” he gushed. “Just awesome.” He added, “I’ve heard of Larry Ellison’s mission to bring sailing to the masses, and I think it’s working.” The America’s Cup World Series wrapped up four days of racing Sunday, and drew thousands of spectators to the waterfront, from the start of Crissy Field out to the Golden Gate Bridge, and culminated with an awards ceremony that turned champagne-soaked sailors into rock stars, with people waiting in long lines for autographs."

This is the planned course for the race in 2013:

It looks liike a bit  more than half of the track will be visible from our vantage on Russian Hill.  For the prelims we have smaller boats on a shorter track this week and we only saw that last turn in front of Alcatraz:

 

Even though we had a better view on the NBC coverage on YouTube:

Sigrid still got some good shots from the terrace:  

Racing along Hyde Pier

Around the corner

And back to Crissy Field

It was fun to watch. We get to do it again in a month. Although I do wonder if anyone has figured out that the next AC regatta and the Fleet Week Airshow with the Blue Angels are happening at the same time over the same bit of water. They've got to know that... right?