SAN DIEGO (AP) — Chicago has been eliminated from contention to host the 2017 America’s Cup, leaving San Diego and Bermuda to fight for the right to hold the final rounds of sailing’s marquee regatta.
Despite Chicago’s nickname as the Windy City, “the variability of the wind was quite a major uncertainty for us,” Coutts told The Associated Press by phone July 8 from his home in New Zealand.
The America’s Cup has never been held on a lake. Lake Michigan’s wind is variable because it comes from weather systems rather than the thermal effect that helps generate sea breezes.
“I think it would make a fantastic venue,” Coutts said. “We just need to understand the wind conditions a lot better. Frankly, all the venues had pretty compelling commercial aspects, so it really came down to a choice of conditions.”
Organizers want to avoid unreliable breezes that delay races and harm the America’s Cup as a viable TV sport. The 62-foot wing sail catamarans picked for the next Cup are expected to pop up on hydrofoils in as little as 8 knots of breeze and skim across the tops of the waves.
Coutts said he’ll begin negotiating host-city agreements with San Diego and Bermuda, with...
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