San Francisco to host America's Cup in 2013

San Francisco will host the next America's Cup, the 34th, between the 7th and 22nd September 2013 it was announced in New Zealand yesterday. The dates depend on how long it takes the defender, Oracle Racing, or the eventual sole challenger to score five wins in a series of up to nine races.

The Louis Vuitton Cup to find the challenger will be run between the 13th June and 1 September, the length of the elimination series to be decided on the basis of the number of challengers.

At the moment, the event authority says it has indications from five challengers plus the defender, including declared entries from Sweden, and France plus interest from Canada and Australia. The New Zealanders are also expected to try and enter before the time limit of end-March and a Russian entry was also said to be likely.

What is also expected before the end of the month is a list of regatta venues for 2011 as the America's Cup World Series begins in the 45-foot wing sail catamarans ahead of a full programme in 72-foot wing sail catamarans in 2012.

A group of five regattas was forecast for this year with the first, logically, to be held in Australasia as the 45-foot boats are being built in Warkworth, New Zealand. But Sydney could be as strong a candidate as Auckland before the boats are shipped to the United States and then on to Europe and the Middle East.

The 90-foot wing sail trimaran in which Oracle won the Cup last year in Valencia is to be shipped, via the Panama Canal, to San Francisco.