| VALENCIA, SPAIN-(2-12-2005) The cool weather over Northern Europe this past week or so has been a harsh reminder that winter is here and the end of year is coming up fast. The Port America's Cup on Valencia's Mediterranean coast hasn't been spared the cold weather, but that hasn't dissuaded several of the Cup teams from continuing their training.
`The conditions aren't perfect over the winter, but every day we get is a day where we can jump forward on the some of the better teams (who aren't sailing),` is the way Iain Percy the skipper on +39 describes the programme for his team. `They, probably rightly, think they need the break more than the practice. But for us, we need the practice more than the break, so we'll take any good day sailing that we can.`
At the same time, many other Cup sailors are on the water in different venues and events around the world, whether it's Dean Barker facing down Chris Dickson in the New Zealand Match Racing Championships in Auckland or the dozen or so Cup sailors recruited to sail on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Vigo, Spain to Cape Town. Still others are racing this week at the newest stop on the match racing tour, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia.
Opening up the Port America's Cup
Work is continuing on the Port America's Cup with the biggest project being the opening of the canal on the northern side of the port which will allow direct access to the sea. This canal will be open for use in mid-January, allowing the teams to be on the northern race course within minutes of leaving their bases.
Along the sides of the canal, two new marinas are being built, providing several hundred new berths for pleasure crafts in Valencia. The first of these, with nearly 300 slips, is due to be ready for the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts 10 and 11 in May.
Work is also proceeding on the America's Cup Park, several of the team buildings as well as the exciting new building that will host the Foredeck Club next year, all with an eye to creating an incredible environment for the 2006 Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts and beyond into 2007.
The year of the 'roadshow' will come to a close in Paris
After travelling over 6 000 miles across Europe and racing six Louis Vuitton Acts in Valencia, Malmö-Skåne and Trapani, the America's Cup season will finish off in France at the Salon Nautique de Paris.
The organisers of the 32nd America's Cup will be represented at the Salon Nautique with a stand featuring replica remote control America's Cup boats racing on a pond, a historical exhibition telling the story of more than 150-years of Cup racing. There are slide shows featuring the best action from the nine Louis Vuitton Acts raced in 2004 and 2005, the ever-popular 'Grinder Game' and a display of keels. An America's Cup boutique will be on-site featuring the best official gear, and on Saturday, 3rd of December, the America's Cup and Louis Vuitton Cup trophies will be on site.
BMW ORACLE Racing with an America's Cup Class boat on display and the French team K-Challenge, will also be present at the Salon Nautique, so come and see us as we close out the 2005 roadshow season in style!
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