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THE LEGEND OF THE AMERICA'S CUP BECOMES VALENCIA'S FUTURE
The 2007 edition of The America´s Cup sailing competition will mark the first time in history that the world´s oldest sporting cup has been staged in European waters.
The story started when businessman John Cox Stevens, one of the 8 founders of the New York Yacht Club, attended the Universal Exhibition in London in 1850. Whilst there he was invited to compete in the 100 Guinneas Cup, a traditional regatta that raced around the Isle of Wight. A keen sailor, Cox Stevens returned to New York to design and build a revolutionary 100 ton schooner which he named America.
On 1st July 1851 the America crossed the Atlantic at a speed of 6.6 knots to register for the famous annual regatta. The schooner got off to a bad start, but within just an hour and a half she had caught up with the leaders. At the halfway point she was in first place and more than two miles ahead of her closest contender. That afternoon, the America crossed the finish line more than 5 hours ahead of the Aurora, who took second place.
The trophy became known as ´The America´s Cup´ in honour of the victorious schooner and stayed on American territory until 1983 when the Australia II stole away the title. Four years later Stars &Stripes regained the number one spot for the San Diego Yacht Club and kept the Cup on American soil for another eight years before New Zealand´s Black Magic finally took the title in 1995. New Zealand went on to host 2 editions of the event in 2000 and 2003. It was only then, after 152 years, that the Swiss Alinghi syndicate won the cup and brought it to Europe. Because Switzerland has no coastline, the team was obliged to elect another city to be home to the next series of regattas, which is where Valencia and the Spanish really triumphed.
What made Valencia stand out above the rest? It was a very close contest and the Alinghi Syndicate certainly did not take the decision lightly. After 6 long months and the aid of "Algoé Consultants", who´s clients include the International Olympic Committee and the World Cup Organization, to eliminate each of the other 7 contenders (Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Naples, Porto Cervo, Elba, Lisbon and Marseilles). The final announcement was made on 26th November 2003. The criteria included;
- an infrastructure to support both the teams and the general public - good transportation and access - effective security solutions - the promise of financial contributions and assistance from the host government - first class sailing conditions (of course!).
The latter, it seems, is what finally clinched the victory for Spain´s 3rd city. Valencia boasts a daily sea breeze with moderate to strong winds and a warm climate. There were also considerable doubts about the strength of both the water and air currents in the other potential host cities. However, the offer of a full programme of staged events, an expanded scope for corporate and public entertainment and the incidental fact that King Juan Carlos himself is an avid sailor (having recently taken part in both the Queen´s Cup and the Admiral´s Cup) also gave the city a considerable boost in the rankings.
The America´s Cup is set to bring a huge number of benefits to the Valencian community; as much to its people as to its economy and aspect. The Balcón al Mar project, under the reigns of local architect José María Tomás Llavador, is well under way and will create a fantastic leisure complex in the marina area. It will also realise some immense improvements to the city´s infrastructure and access points, including expanding the airport to receive more planes each day, subsequently reducing the price of flights to and from Valencia and increasing the number of tourists to the city. Continuing even after the Cup has finished and the sailing fans have returned home, phase 2 of the same project plans to open the city centre up to the coast. It has been predicted that property prices in the city will rise by at least 20% as a direct result of the competition, and will increase yet more with the completion of the second stage of this renovation project.
With 1.3 billion euros invested in the rebuilding of the port, the airport extension and a high-speed rail link to Madrid; over 10,000 jobs created and the implication of a new ´eco´ style architecture, the America´s Cup will bring the city of Valencia in line with some of Europe´s most modern and trendiest cities and the prestigious sailing cup will earn it a new and elevated reputation, worldwide. You only have to look at the effect the 1992 Olympic Games had on the country´s second city to see that Valencia truly deserves and will earn its new nickname: "The Barcelona of the South".
Written by Suzanne Bailey for Ibericity.com, May 2006 © IBERICITY
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