Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Italy?



Italy?

AS San Francisco struggles with how to handle the huge costs of upgrading its crumbling waterfront infrastructure in order to be a viable contender to host the 34th America's Cup, news out of New Zealand is that BMW/Oracle are about to announce that they will shun the US altogether and move AC34 to La Maddalena in Italy.

Italy?

Say it ain't so Joe.

33 comments:

Baydog said...

I love Italy. The wine. The salami. The cheese. My wife's relatives. But please. Let's keep it at home, in SF, RI, or, wait for it, NJ. And multihulls? Is nothing sacred?

Frankie Perussault said...

Italy is fine with me... the salami, the good looking guys and the €€€ euros!

Carol Anne said...

Aw, man, Pat and I were already making plans for SF. We have several friends who have boats in that part of the world, and we might even have one of our own there someday.

Pat said...

If San Francisco's Board of Stupidvisors is too clueless to put something together, I'd really like to see BMWO/GGYC give another US venue such as RI or San Diego a chance before they take their show on the road. Italy is fine as far as it goes, but there seems to be something wrong with not doing their best to keep the competition within the country of the winning team.

Pandabonium said...

Let the Bormann Organization's BMW and CIA's Oracle take their Plastic Frankenboat and run away. Last to pay the taxes and first to bitch about the resulting infrastructure. Good riddance.

Sam Chapin said...

Maybe they could sail a couple of Lasers in Rhode Island?

O Docker said...

Aw man, the guys at Red's Java House are gonna be really bummed. They've already invested heavily in a box of new paper napkins.

Tillerman said...

Pat says "there seems to be something wrong with not doing their best to keep the competition within the country of the winning team."

If you go to the BMW/Oracle website the list of sailing team members shows a truly international crew. As far as I can see the nation with the most crew members on the winning team was... Italy.

You were saying Pat?

Joe said...

The only source for this "story" is Peter Montgomery. What does Pete say?
He is predicting the next America's Cup will be held in Europe. Where is my crystal ball?

Until I hear it from the Horse's Mouth, Larry Ellison, it's just a rumor.

The Examiner story is from July. If there is a chance for San Francisco to loose the next AC it will come from the environmentalists.

Emily Titesphinker said...

I'm sure I read this story on The Horse's Mouth too. It must be true.

Corri said...

Not that I wouldn't like to have a reason to go to Italy, but that would be really sad.

Tillerman said...

It would be sad if the Californicators can't get their act together and produce a viable plan to host the Cup that will meet Larry's approval. But the way things are looking they might just manage to blow it.

Baydog said...

Where have you gone, Bus Mosbacher?
Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you. Woo woo woo.....

What's that you say Mr. Ted Turner, Dennis Conner's left and gone away. Hey hey hey, hey hey hey

WTF?

Baydog said...

I'm gonna go out on a limb. And I'm a big heavy guy. I don't like Larry. He offends me. Defend the cup in home waters.
Is that too much to ask? It's just not a national pride thing anymore. What's with BMW Oral anyway? What ever happened to plain old US 55? Where all the crewmembers were homegrown, I think? From amber waves? And all pledged allegiance to the same flag. Forgive me if I seem crusty; I must be getting old, but goddamn, it's called the Americas Cup!

Sorry

blind pew said...

18% of Americans think Larry Ellison is a Muslim.

Emily Titesphinker said...

Mr. Baydog, please update your records. The America's Cup is not named for our country, but for the yacht which originally wrested it from the hands of those bothersome British.

"Originally named the Royal Yacht Squadron Cup, it became known as the "America's Cup" after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America." - Wikipedia (which is never wrong)

Ethel Eventitersphinker. said...

Actually the cup was originally known as the "R.Y.S. £100 Cup", standing for a cup of a hundred GB Pounds in value. The Cup was subsequently mistakenly engraved as the "100 Guinea Cup" by the America syndicate, but was also referred to as the "Queen's Cup" and the "America's Cup" (according to Wikipedia which is never wrong.)

Baydog said...

Titty-Sphincter: (I've been dying to say that) Shut your pie-hole. I don't care if it was originally called the 100 stark-raving-mad-red-skinned-savage-cup. Pounds, shillings, pence.. what is this nonsense? Let's get on with this F'in race. And why do we need to wait years for the next one? Why?

Tillerman said...

We are having to wait because this is not about yacht racing, it is about money. It is about spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a site to host the Cup and on yachts to challenge for the cup so that billionaires like Ellison and Bertarelli and the Aga Khan can indulge in their hobby of suing each other and occasionally watching yacht races.

blind pew said...

18% of Americans think the Aga Khan is a Muslim.

Baydog said...

18% of Americans think Bertarelli is 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

And 100% of Americans love Chaka Khan's "Tell me something good" because it was just a kick ass song.

Baydog said...

What now, crickets?

O Docker said...

I'm afraid Mr. Tillerman is right.

There is no site in San Francisco even close to being ready to host the race (well, except maybe for Red's Java House). The only thing that might work is developing some old rotting piers that were abandoned years ago when most commercial port activity moved across the bay to Oakland.

But those piers are so old that their pilings would probably have to be rebuilt - projects that would take forever, cost a fortune, and need the consent of a dozen government agencies that usually can't agree to call the fire department when they smell smoke.

With the governor and legislature having told us for the past year that the state is nearly bankrupt, no politician in his right mind would vote funding for a freakin' yot race, especially two months before elections. And Ellison needs a firm plan within 90 days.

How do you say 'Starboard' in Italian?

Baydog said...

Sacramento!!!!!

Tillerman said...

Stellabordo?

blind pew said...

18% of Californians think Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Austria.

Pat said...

Wasn't the Guinea worth somewhat more than the pound sterling then?

Tillerman said...

The guinea was always worth more than the pound. A guinea was 21 shillings. A pound was 20 shillings.

blind pew said...

18% of Americans think Rudy Guiliani is a Guinea.

Joe said...

Wait, I thought Arnold was born in Escondido. And you guys thought that we Califorinacators could get our act together. We had Ronnie, a moonbeam, 3 really boring guys who made paint drying look like an extreme sport and an Austrian bodybuilder as our governors. Should I be looking at real estate in Rhode Island? My good friend owns a couple of restaurants there.

O Docker said...

Joe, if he were born in Escondido, he might be following in Ronnie's footsteps.

Count your blessings.

blind pew said...

18% of Americans think Escondido is in Mexico.

Baydog said...

10% of Mexicans live in the U.S.

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