The America's Cup World Series is the yacht racing event created by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison to try to build interest in yacht racing as a spectator sport. They've held a regatta in San Diego, there were a couple in Italy, and even Rhode Island just a couple of weeks ago. The next one is scheduled in San Francisco Bay in just a little over three weeks from now.
The 11 teams that will compete in America's Cup World Series have their yachts, their tents, and all of their support boats loaded into 120 containers. When they are unpacked, the World Series compound on Piers 30 and 32 will resemble the America's Cup World Series compound that was set up in November 2011 in San Diego.
Some of the containers that hold the television equipment will be built into a broadcast village. The boats will be racing, not in the light winds of San Diego's Bay, but in San Francisco Bay off the Marina Green.
The goal for the America's Cup World Series will be to build a television audience for yacht racing, so when the actual America's Cup comes to San Francisco next summer, there will be a national audience and advertisers willing to pay.
So far there are four challengers for next year's race: an Italian team, a New Zealand team, one from Sweden, and the latest entry from Korea. Next summer, they will be racing each other for the right to challenge Oracle's team in the America's Cup in September of next year. But you'll be able to see those same teams and seven others competing next month in small versions of the racing catamarans, off Marina Green.
