Has ACEA scored a major coup?
Bernie Wilson’s AP report yesterday (1 Mar’12) included this:
The first NBC broadcast is scheduled for July 1, the final day of the America’s Cup World Series in Newport. The other dates on NBC are Aug. 26 and Oct. 7, so America’s Cup organizers will fit events to those slots. Organizers are exploring having an ACWS stop on the Hudson River in New York, which would end on Aug. 26. If that’s not possible, there would be ACWS stops in San Francisco ending with televised races on Aug. 26 and Oct. 7.
Has anyone noticed that Oct 4-8 is…FLEET WEEK. Talk about finding a parade and then running to get in front of it! Very clever.
Some other schedule notes:
August 26 and October 7: this means the current ACWS schedule will change
The second SF ACWS is currently scheduled to start on August 27. And the first SF ACWS is scheduled to end August 19.
Looks like the first “SF” ACWS will be run 1 week later and maybe in NY, not SF.
Second SF ACWS won’t start on August 27 – it changes to October 1-7.
Is this the most likely scenario?
ACWS Newport, June 23 – July 1 (no change)
ACWS NY or SF, Aug 20 – 26 (do AC45s and teams stay on the East Coast somewhere for training?)
ACWS SF, Oct 1-7 With Blue Angels air show!
Is this a major coup or a major snafu? Post your comments below!
Did ACEA and NBC plan this? Or did they just get lucky?
Or… will they have to change the Oct date or venue because they completely missed the Fleet Week conflict?
Here’s a comment from Scuttlebutt 3552:* From Sue Caverty:After I read the ‘Busy Week’ story in Scuttlebutt 3551, I nearly coughed up a fur ball. For the event authority to schedule their AC World Series event at the same time and location as Fleet Week in San Francisco is highly concerning.
It is absolutely, unequivocally impossible to park anywhere in the city on the Fleet Week weekend. Impossible, especially along the coveted waterfront areas. Has anyone from the AC event authority actually been to a Fleet Week?
I just don’t think it’s possible to run anything on the water during Fleet week and for the few days before the big shows on the weekend. I just don’t see it. The Bay is PACKED Fri-Sun – October 6, 7, 8 – with spectator boats and there’s no way you could stop that, not even Larry Ellison. Not to mention the small airside conflict with a few fast planes flying around – can’t see this as being heli friendly!
COMMENT: The first week of October in SF is also heavily impacted by the Oracle OpenWorld trade show, while that same week attracts the kings of the marine industry to Annapolis for the US Sailboat Show. Busy. Very busy. -Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
From Jack: if you don’t subscribe to Scuttlebutt, you might want to have a look. Daily sailing news: http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com