that. thank you very much. congratulations, san francisco, on this great achievement. [applause] >> thank you, mayor newsom. speaking of a lot of hard work then needs to be done, this event would not be done without these guys. it will be taking the reins as the america's cup event authority. two of the most distinguished sports management professionals in world, chairman worth, and chief executive officer craig thomas. [applause] >> good afternoon, everybody. let us at our thanks to the

mayor, the city of san francisco, and the board of supervisors for having the confidence and making the commitment to bringing the america's cup to the presidio san francisco. -- to the great city of san francisco. we are extremely proud to be coming to this great city. we are going to tell you a little bit more about what the america's cup coming to the city will really mean. i think it is right to say that we stand on the edge of an event that will provide enormous drama and theater over the next three years and add to the rich history of the america's cup. in a way, it is a gorgeous marriage between a great event and a great city. we know that the city of san francisco will embrace this

america's cup like none other before. like the mayor said, it's likely to bring in something in the region of 10 million visitors from outside of the city to enjoy this event. this is something really special and really big. and this is one of the reasons why. please take a look at the screens. this is truly unique in the history of the america's cup. the ability to stage the entire race in the harbor in view of hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the shores in addition to millions of people on television all over the world. this course will be staged with these very fast boats. it will be a 45-minute program for television. the spectators will be all around the harbor watching this

as it has never been done before. we are very fond of saying that we have a new product. why is the america's cup a new product? what is it about this particular ac 34 that is so unique? first of all, we have boats that have never been seen in an america's cup like this before. they are super fast. they are super big. when people see them, they go, wow. young people love it. it is an extreme sport now, sailing. the sailors on these boats are extreme athletes. you will be seen this with cameramen on board, and understanding why all that's happening from this great camera angle that we will have.

we like to say these are the best sailing in the world coming to san francisco to sail on the fastest boats in the world and that is our new product. [applause] >> i'm just a strange english guy who knows a bit about cricket, rugby, and soccer, but i understand that the words world series means something quite special to this city. [applause] over the next two years, we will be introducing our own america's cup world series, which will not mostly happened in san francisco. it will be happening all over the globe, in europe, in asia, perhaps in australia, new zealand, and other parts of the united states. it will serve two surfaces. it is a promotional event for

the america's cup. and the words on everybody's lips for the next few years will be san francisco. the end of the process will be the america's cup itself. this will be the new tour, and an annual champion will be crowned in the world series of the america's cup. part of that will also be here in san francisco in august of 2012. we are hoping and we are expecting to introduce a whole new generation of fans to this event. not only the sports fans, but to the general interest fans. how'd we do that? by top quality tv broadcasting, by making the sport and the event much more understandable than it has ever been, by guaranteeing race start times, by great industry standard

television camera coverage, and by great programming. let's face it, this will be a great american story. it's an american defender of one of the greatest sporting trophies there is. sailing on american waters to fend off challenges from all over the world. it will be a great american story. [applause] let me just go back to the world series schedule. this will start in june of 2011. only five months away. we will already be running events in europe in what we call the ac45. that's a 45-foot powered by aircraft wing. this is a solid aircraft wing. these are remarkable machines

and dispersed world series will kick off in june in europe. as i said, this will not for the globe. it will be promoting the city of san francisco in europe. the name of san francisco is always on the lips. at the end of this series, the world series champion will be crowned in the ac45 boats. following that, one year later, there will be a second world series in the 72-foot catamarans. the first event, in august of 2012, we anticipate will be right here in san francisco. the first time anybody will see a ac72 boat in competitive action will be here in san

francisco in august 2012. [applause] again, in june 2013, the world series champion will be crowned. in august and september will be the challenger series and the america's cup itself for 2013. >> here we have a truly reinvigorated product, younger, more exciting, faster, bringing the sport to the people. we are targeting, as richardson, a global audience. the eyes of the world will be on san francisco. because of that, we are looking forward to partnering with the great global companies that are here in san francisco and the america that will use this as a platform for their products and services to market those around the world, as, equally, european

companies will want to be involved here in america to showcase their products around this great sporting event. >> let me tell you that we will not be relaxing over the next six months. quite a few things are about to happen. i would like to at least recognized our colleague, ian murray, a world-renowned sailor, and will be the america's cup racing management. that is ian. [applause] one of his responsibilities i'll only a few short days time will be to launch the first ac45 boat in new zealand. next month, we will be launching a brand new brand, an identity, for the america's cup. in march, the marchperiod for america's cup will close. by may, we will have our first

tv programming on the year. in june, the first world series will kick off. even though this is an event coming to san francisco in two and a half years, for us, it starts right here and right now. to conclude, we believe the next america's cup, all the events, all the buildup, and the spectacular end, will be something very special. we are delighted that the city of san francisco will be able to share in every single step of the way. who knows? maybe this will be the first of several such events in this great city. [applause] >> in addition to the mayor and his great staff, we would also

like to thank the board of supervisors for making this happen, particularly the board president, david chiu. [applause] >> good afternoon. on behalf of the san francisco board of supervisors, i want to welcome you to city hall. i want to justify saying that it is incredibly thrilling to see this trophy with the backdrop of the entrance to the board chambers. as i look on to the sea of faces here, i think about why this is such an incredible opportunity for san francisco. all of you, all of us, represent, i think, the most beautiful community in the world, the most beautiful city in the world, the most beautiful bay in the world, and with the america's cup, the entire world

is going to know that about san francisco. [applause] i want to thank mayor newsom for his vision. he has already thanked the numerous city staff. i also want to mention my staffer, who like many of the city staffers, worked tirelessly without very much mention. i also want to thank my colleagues on the board. supervisor mirkarimi, supervisor chu. for those of you who may occasionally watch our activities of the board, we do not always agree. [laughter] is a big deal with something as important as this that we have come together. i also want to thank mr. ellison. i have to admit that i have not yet met you, but your representation perceives you in

the form of your negotiators. i would like to say that my fingertips are still heeling. thank you for leaving us of that. we look forward to a long partnership with you. [applause] i would like to conclude by thanking san francisco for allowing us to move forward with this amazing set of events. we are estimating over $1 billion of economic activity. we know we will be able to revitalize and create a true 21st century port, and allow ourselves to be a showcase for the world to fall in love with san francisco again, and to leave their hearts here. during the last floor debate that we had before the unanimous vote on this agreement, i used way too many sailing metaphors that i will not repeat today. i just want to say, again, on behalf of the board, we look

forward to setting sail soon. congratulations. [applause] >> now it's time to recognize a person who made it possible to brenda america's cup back to american waters. a guy who learn to sail 30 years ago at the berkeley marina, and then won a bunch of titles, and a few america's cup campaigns, and then the next thing you know, the america's cup. take a look at the 1-2 punch.

>> i think the salt water of the ocean represents exploration and mystery, especially when you are a teenager which is when my romance with sailing began. i was in love with the sea. it was something deep in side. water represents one of the essentials of life. >> i grew up on the ocean. finally at 12 years old, my parents bought me one. whatever they spent on it, i had to pay back by mowing the lawn and washing cars. as a kid, you do not have those feelings coming true. when i look back, that is what it was. >> when i grew up, the only access to anywhere was by boat.

often we get to school and we are completely wet from racing each other. >> it is a stunning piece of engineering. hopefully it will be enough to win the cup. it is the limits of what is possible. it is sailing in the 21st century. this is extreme sailing. i'm very excited to be part of that. >> i've been quite fortunate to have been successful in a lot of other aspects of our sport. unfortunately, i've never won the america's cup. it is a dream come true. >> it really never dawned on me that we are not bmw -- we are

the american team. i get chills just talking justit. pursuing the oldest trophy in sport, and people are chanting "go usa." yes, i'm very proud of representing my country. we would like to be the team that brings superb america's cup back to america. sfgtv ♪ ♪ >> bmw oracle as we're coming down to the final 10 seconds. five, four, three, two, one.

>> america's cup, the two fastest yachts in america's cup history take sailing where it has never been. we have got a race on our hands here, folks. ♪ ♪ >> bmw oracle racing is leading with two legs to go.

>> five minutes to go. ♪ ♪ >> finally, america's cup they 3 has been decided on the water. february 14, 2010, and valencia spain. the america's cup is america's again. [applause] >> usa usa. ♪ ♪ [applause]

>> amazing. awesome. and better than that. [applause] [applause] >> and a couple things that need to be known about that boat -- the fastest ever be in the america's cup. how fast? 50 miles per hour. fantastic. i would love to take my son on that. it looks really fun. after all this time, you would think you would be burned out and want to go home and go to bed, but now it's time to mount

your defense again. ladies and gentlemen, larry ellison. [applause] [applause] >> well, i guess the last time i was next to this trophy -- in regards to the changing hands in valencia, i made a very short speech in valencia. it was simply, thank you, valencia. that was the 33rd america's cup. it was an extraordinary event. it was a match between two teams. it was the best two out of three. we were very fortunate to have a wonderful piece of technology, created by a brilliant engineering team, a brilliant

team of people, and a fabulous group of sailors. we were able to claim this trophy. now it is my chance to say thank you, san francisco. [applause] [applause] the trophy is back in the united states after a long absence, and we are very proud to be the team to bring it back. there were over 150 people on the oracle racing team. there are design engineers who can see the boat, and design the wing. there are people near seattle, washington who actually build the boat, and the sailors that are out there racing it. there are a lot of people behind the scenes, shore crews,

engineers, over 150 people. it was their diligence, of their brilliance, their athletic ability, led by russell, that brought this trophy back to the usa. i'm very proud to be a part of that team. we are excited to be in san francisco. we are a team that represents the golden gate yacht club. [applause] [applause] i mean, i'm a member of both the st. francis yacht club and the golden gate yacht club. just look to your right and there's the golden gate yacht club down at the end of the peir. they have been enormously supportive of us since we started our pursuit of the america's cup in 2003. we made it to the finals.

we lost to a team, a swiss team, that was led by the most successful competitive sailor in the history of competitive sailing. a guy by the name of russell. [applause] if i recall correctly, russell only lost two races in new zealand in 2003. they were both to a boat called usa 76 and it wasn't a bmw oracle racing team. they were triumphant. they went on to defeat team new zealand. for the first time ever of the america's cup -- it moved to europe. the great sailing nation, switzerland. [laughter] i love the suisse. they are good that tennis.

they are good that a lot of things. it was russell the first one the -- won the america's cup for new zealand, and then won on behalf of the swiss team. there was a pattern i began to recognize. [laughter] russell is on team new zealand and a windy america's cup. he is on swiss team and they won the america's cup. i had this idea -- [laughter] i sailed a bunch with russell and against him. i decided it was a much better idea to sail with him than against them. i think the record speaks for itself. russell could not be here today. he is ill. he has pneumonia.

he apologizes for not being here. russell has been our leader and organizer of this great team to win this trophy for him for the fourth time. he will be our leader again in defending the trophy against -- [applause] i decided not to make the mistake of letting russell go to another team. that would be a really bad idea. we signed him up again. we will be defending the trophy against a number of great teams. in fact, they will be the greatest sailing teams in the world. sailors of that caliber, sailing the fastest boats in the world, in the most extraordinary place to hold a sailboat race. [applause]

i do not think people realize that the america's cup is typically held out in the ocean. if you want to watch the race, you better get out on a boat. if you want to watch the races in new zealand, you have to get out of auckland and into a boat. you have to be on a boat. historically, relatively few people have seen america's cups. that is all about to change. we are holding this cup in but san francisco bay, the most spectacular amphitheater for sailing that god created on this earth. [applause] of hundreds of thousands of

people will be able to watch these races, whether they are cheering on their favorite team, or in one of the office buildings that are in downtown san francisco. they could be in sausalito or any place on the shoreline, or in the buildings around the bay. people are lucky enough to the palms on broadway can look out their window. [laughter] it is really very unusual. for the first time, the america's cup will be witnessed by hundreds of thousands of spectators because of this spectacular venue. also for the first time in a very long time, the america's cup will be racing in the fastest boats on the planet.

typically, the america's cup boats -- they were boats you could go out and buy. not anymore. these new 72-footers, they will routinely go 30 knots. if you are not easily frightened, they can probably reach 40 knots in that crazy san francisco breeze. consistently every afternoon you get 25 knots of breeze coming from the golden gate and flushing down the bay. it will be absolutely extreme sailing. exhilarating for the sailors and for the fans who are watching. it's a far cry from the boat i've learned to sail on at uc- i've learned to sail on at uc- berkeley yacht club.