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| AUCKLAND
& THE VIADUCT BASIN |
Following
the excitement of Team New Zealand's legendary win
in 1995, another race started - the race to develop
an appropriate venue to host and defend, the America's
Cup.
Auckland, the "City of Sails" (built around two magnificent
harbours, the Waitemata harbour and the Manukau harbour)
was chosen for the challenge and the Viaduct Basin
was chosen for the Cup Village and base for the syndicates.
The Viaduct Basin was previously disused industrial
area and was used for log shipments and as a harbour
for fishing boats and charter vessels. Major redevelopment
was required rapidly to be ready in time for the Americas
Cup Regatta 1999/2000.
Now, the best place to experience America's Cup excitement,
if not on the water, is at the Viaduct Basin - known
also as the America's Cup Village - in downtown Auckland.
During the last America's Cup Regatta 4.2 million
visitors to the Viaduct Basin confirmed its success
as a major event.
The bases, which are temporary, are lined up side
by side along Halsey Street with a superyacht marina
squeezed in between GBR Challenge and Team New Zealand.
Team New Zealand's base, like Stars & Stripes on the
far left and Prada's on the far right are still in
place form the previous regatta. The other bases are
newly built.
A new VIP club for the America's Cup, The Base Club,
is being built on the New Western Viaduct pier at
the end of Halsey Street and will be finished any
day now. Outside it will be another superyacht marina.
On the other side of Halsey Street are the offices
of CORM, the challenger organisation, and AC2003,
the organisation for the America's Cup final itself.
Between them is Portside, a bar and restaurant where
most of the syndicate team members can be seen taking
morning coffee or a late beer after a day's work.
On the other side of the water, you can live a vibrant
public space at the heart of the city with nightlife,
restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, apartments, shops
and offices.
From this point of view, you can see the activities
on the bases, from lowering America's Cup yachts into
the water every morning with large traveller lifts
before being towed out to the Hauraki Gulf where the
competition takes place to their return after a day's
sailing. |
| HAURAKI
GULF AND RACE COURSE AREA |
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While Auckland's Waitemata
Harbour is home to many small-boat regattas, the
America's Cup will be sailed in the notorious Hauraki
Gulf, approximately an hour's tow from the Viaduct
Basin between the distinctive volcanic cone of Rangitoto
Island and Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
This will provide the necessary depth of water and
maneuvering room the 75-foot International America's
Cup Class sailboats need to compete on the windward/leeward
course that will stretch more than three miles.
Further east, the imposing shapes of the Coromandel
Peninsula and Great Barrier Island protect the course
area from the Pacific.
Because the course is so well protected, there is
little swell in the Hauraki Gulf, though wind waves
come up with a stiff breeze. The prevailing wind
is southwesterly, with races likely to be held in
a wind range of 5 to 25 knots (in San Diego, the
upper limit was 18 knots).
The race course area is large enough to contain
four circles into wich four of the windward/leeward
course configurations can be placed simultaneously,
regardless of wind durection (each circle measures
3.25 nautical miles in diameter).
Two of these are for the Louis Vuitton Cup race
management team, and one is for the Defense and
non-racing challenger to use for practice.
Allocation of the four courses rotates on a daily
basis.
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