The America's Cup: Economic Impacts of a Match - Bay Area Council

It seems likely that if chosen as the ultimate venue for the defense, San Francisco would also be host to several
regattas in 2011 and 2012 prior to the challenger series, though this remains uncertain. Were this to happen, the
economic impact of hosting the defense would be enhanced not only because of the fact of the other two races
but also because having experienced the city during an earlier regatta, spectators would likely return, bolstering
the size of the spectator pool during both the challenger series and ultimately the America's Cup defense.
The Challenger Selection Series has been a staple of the modern America's Cup defense. With more than one challenging
syndicate, a means for selecting a single most worthy challenger must be put in place. This has in all but
two of the last nine America's Cups been the function of the Louis Vuitton Cup (LVC). It is a near certainty that a
challenger series of match races would take place on the Bay in the months before the America's Cup races begin.
Since 1983, there have been between 7 and 13 challengers participating in the Challenger Selection Series. In 2007,
there were 11 challengers, and racing lasted for nearly two months, between April 16 and June 6. The racing consisted
of two round robin series of match races (races between only two competitors). Combining the results from
these races with points accumulated during the previous Acts, four teams were invited into the semifinals, from
which the ultimate challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand, was selected to challenge Alinghi in the America's
Cup.
Table 1: Recent History of America's Cup Timing
Defender Series Challenger Series America's Total
Year Location Dates # Participants Dates # Participants Cup Duration
1983 Fremantle − − − − 9/14-9/26 12 Days
1987 Fremantle 8/18-1/20 8 10/5-1/23 13 1/31-2/4 5.5 Months
1988 San Diego − − − − 9/7-9/9 3 Days
1992 San Diego 1/14-4/30 5 1/25-4/30 7 5/9-5/16 5 Months
1995 San Diego 1/15-4/23 3 1/12-4/21 7 5/5-5/13 5 Months
2000 Auckland − − 10/18-2/6 11 2/20-3/2 5.5 Months
2003 Auckland − − 10/1-1/19 9 2/15-3/2 5 Months
2007 Valencia − − 4/16-6/2 11 6/23-7/7 3 Months
2010 Valencia − − − − 2/12-2/14 3 Days
The defender of the America's Cup is not necessarily the syndicate that won the previous America's Cup Match.
By the Deed, the yacht club that holds the Cup makes the selection of the yacht that will ultimately sail against
the defender. This is often accomplished by including a Defender Series in the mix of sailing in addition to the
Challenger Selection Series and the defense. A Defender Series is not necessarily a staple of America's Cup activities.
However, it is possible that the Golden Gate Yacht Club would host such a series, if only to afford their boat
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