Sanders to Ellison: San Diego would be a natural to host 34th America’s Cup

San Diego makes a pitch for America’s Cup regatta

SAN DIEGO — Mayor Jerry Sanders made a personal pitch Sunday to software mogul Larry Ellison to hold the 34th America’s Cup in San Diego.

The two men met privately before a public ceremony aboard the USS Midway museum on San Diego Bay featuring the oldest trophy in international sports.

Ellison’s BMW Oracle Racing won back the America’s Cup for the United States a week earlier in Valencia, Spain, completing a two-race sweep aboard its space-age trimaran against two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

The Cup belongs to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club, BMW Oracle Racing’s patron. Ellison said San Francisco was his first choice as the port in which to defend sailing’s most coveted trophy, but that the city by the bay was no shoo-in.

Sanders said he can appreciate Ellison giving San Francisco the first crack at hosting sailing’s marquee regatta.

“But we really know we can do it better,” Sanders said.

San Diego has hosted three America’s Cup regattas, in 1988, 1992 and 1995.

BMW Oracle Racing spent 16 months testing its massive trimaran in San Diego before relocating to Valencia late last year. It was in San Diego where the syndicate first used the radical wing sail that gave the trimaran a definitive speed edge over the Swiss catamaran.

Ellison said making San Diego a stop on a victory tour also was a nod to the San Diego Yacht Club, the former Cup-holder that stood by BMW Oracle Racing during a bitter, 2½-year court fight against the Swiss that preceded the Americans’ stunning sweep.

Ellison said a decision about the 34th America’s Cup will be made in conjunction with all challengers as the sailing community tries to repair the damage caused by the court fight, in which Ellison’s syndicate triumphed.

“Again, these aren’t our decisions that we are going to or we should make all by ourselves,” Ellison said during a trip from the Midway to the San Diego Yacht Club aboard a replica of America, the schooner that beat a fleet of British ships in 1851 to give the silver trophy its name. “We’re talking to all the teams involved and all the interested parties to make sure we make a decision that’s right for sailing.”

At one point, some serious star power gathered with America’s co-owner and captain, Troy Sears, for a photo op at the helm. Ellison was joined by Dennis Conner, a four-time America’s Cup winner; BMW Oracle Racing CEO Russell Coutts, now a four-time Cup winner, including the first three as a skipper; and Jimmy Spithill, who at 30 became the youngest skipper to win the America’s Cup.

“All three of those guys have steered America’s Cup champions, and I haven’t, so I thought I’d get out of the picture pretty fast,” Ellison laughed.

Coincidentally, Coutts helped bring the America’s Cup back to California after leading Team New Zealand to a five-race sweep of Conner off San Diego in 1995.

Sanders said he thinks San Diego has an excellent shot at regaining the regatta.

“San Francisco has to prove that they can do it. We’ve got a few years, so I think we’re in good position,” the mayor said.

“If San Francisco can get it done in time, that would be great. If not, San Diego is a fantastic alternative,” said Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Corp. “They’ve hosted three Cups here in San Diego and they did a terrific job. It would be great. I think we want to be in an urban area. I know it’s very important to Russell and the rest of the team that we make it a spectacular spectator sport that will inspire young kids, who watch it on television to say, ‘Wow, that’s cool, I want to go sailing.’ We really should have it a large-scale urban area.”

Newport, R.I., also has lobbied Ellison to host the Cup. Newport hosted the racing from 1930 until 1983, when the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak ended.

Ellison reiterated his pledge that BMW Oracle Racing will push for fair rules and an independent governing body.

“Everyone will have a fair chance to win,” he said. “They just have to sail fast. No politics included.”

Ellison, who attended a ceremony with his team Saturday at San Francisco’s City Hall, said he hoped the decision on the venue could be made in the next couple of months. He said he hoped the next regatta could be held as early as 2012, or maybe 2013.

“Again, the sooner the better. Everybody wants to see a multi-challenger event again,” he said.

Even though he spent an estimated $200 million on the entire campaign, including the court fight, Ellison didn’t ride aboard his trimaran during Race 1 due to a weight limit, watching it from a chase boat. He was aboard during the clinching Race 2.

“I said, Jimmy, c’mon, let me steer, and he said, ‘No,’” Ellison laughed.

Ellison did get to steer the boat on the long ride back to port after Race 1.

“We were doing about 25 knots, both hulls flying for quite a time, and I kept pushing it, pushing it, and Russell said, ‘You know Larry, your driving cannot win us the Cup, but your driving can lose us the Cup, if you flip this thing over. Back off! Slow down!’ It was kind of funny. But I enjoy driving that boat.”