Making
Waves
Sailing aboard an authentic America’s Cup boat
may be fun, but it’s no mere pleasure cruise.
With my hands
steady on the oversize metal wheel and the boat heeled hard to
starboard in the strong breeze, I steal a glance over my shoulder
at our opponent. Sprinting for the finish line, my highly-trained
crew works feverishly to wring every last bit of speed from the
Stars & Stripes as we sail to a convincing
victory that will bring the America’s Cup back home.
Okay, so it’s not 1987, I’m not Dennis Conner, and
my crew and I didn’t just win what is arguably the most famous
sailboat race of all time in the waters off Freemantle, Australia.
But those minor details aside, no one could blame a guy for feeling
some of the same excitement standing at the helm of one of Conner’s
Stars & Stripes racing yachts on a two-hour lap around picturesque
San Diego Bay.
Make no mistake, the two boats in today’s informal regatta—Stars & Stripes/USA
34, which won the right to defend America’s Cup in 1995,
and its stable-mate Abracadabra/USA 54, a Cup contender in 2000—are
no mere pleasure craft. While sailing is often portrayed as a tranquil
pastime, the stuff of gentle breezes and genteel yacht club manners,
these 80-footers are to ordinary sailboats what a Ferrari Formula
One car is to your average Ford sedan in terms of both performance
and sex-appeal.
Given the historic sailing contest’s multi-million dollar
price of entry, however, this is likely the closest those of us
who don’t have “Software Billionaire” at the
top of our resume are ever likely to come to taking the wheel of
an America’s Cup yacht. The good news is that the folks at
Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup Experience have made
it possible to join this exclusive club for the paltry sum of about
$100.
While these are largely recreational outings, the professional
crews’ competitive spirit lies just below the surface as
they jockey for position against one another in preparation for
the start of the unofficial “race” from the boats’ berth
at San Diego’s Embarcadero waterfront to the tip of Point
Loma and back. In addition to taking a turn at the wheel, you can
try your hand at other crew positions including “grinding” the
winches that raise and fine-tune the sails. Or you can simply sit
back and relax in the perfect San Diego sunshine and watch the
scenery go by in one heck of a hurry.
The next America’s Cup race is tentatively scheduled for
summer 2009, which means there’s no time to lose if you plan
on learning the ropes in time to take your turn at the helm.
Xtrordinary
Xtra
It’s hard to comprehend the size of these boats until you
see them up close. The masts on these two America’s Cup contenders,
for example, are as tall as an 11-story building.
Xtrordinary Xtra
Contrary to popular belief, the America’s Cup race is not
named after the country the silver-plated trophy called home for
more than 100 years. Instead it’s named for the schooner
America, the first yacht to win the international sailing competition
back in 1851.
The Facts
Name: Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup Experience
Location:
Downtown San Diego, at the Embarcadero (corner of Broadway and North
Harbor Drive).
Phone: 800-644-3454.
Website: www.nextlevelsailing.com
My Advice
- If you’re a sailing aficionado this is a dream
come true. If you’re not, it’s still a pretty darn
unique experience and a very pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon.
- The recommended equipment here is pretty simple: Hat, sunglasses,
sunblock.
- As the, ahem, facilities aboard these boats are rather
primitive, you’ll want to visit the restroom before you
shove off.
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