The America's Cup

Oracle Team USA races across the finish line.

Auld Mug - America's Cup
perpetual trophy

Don't you just love it when the underdog makes an incredible recovery to come from behind and win?  That's what happened today in San Francisco when Oracle Team USA won the 34th America's Cup race. The week began with Emirates Team New Zealand ahead 8 to 1 and finished with Oracle's amazing comeback winning eight straight races to take the cup.  The competition has been on in San Francisco Bay for the past 19 days making it the longest cup race in the 162-year history of the event.  

Sounds like we're really fans of the sport doesn't it?  The truth is that we just happened to be in San Francisco house sitting and who could pass up the opportunity to see a world class sailing race?  We have to admit though that we were pretty jazzed by the whole event and happy that the US has retained the Auld Mug for another year.  

We actually didn't know much about the America's Cup and mistakenly assumed that the races were named for our country.  A little time on the internet clued us in to the real story. There was a yacht called the America and in 1851, in a major upset, she would win against the British to earn Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron's 100 Pound Cup.  The syndicate that owned the yacht America then donated the winning trophy to the New York Yacht Club under a stipulation that the trophy be a "perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations" and the America's Cup was born.   

For the first time the America's Cup races are being held in San Francisco.

The race course stretched from the start near the Golden Gate bridge, traversing
San Francisco Bay and ending near downtown around Pier 27.

Coit Tower and ...

 the Transamerica building made for a dramatic backdrop.

Crowds stood about 8 deep at the ends of the pier and some folks opted for lounging in the sun
and watching it all on the big screens.

The media had the best seats in the house!

Team support boats, patrol boats and rescue boats made for a lot of traffic in
addition to the two team's racing boats.

Emirates Team New Zealand.

Oracle Team USA makes a sweeping turn after crossing the finish line.

The winning team.