AC 35 Actively Courting Hawaii

The America’s Cup trophy, along with an entourage that includes award-winning The Billionaire and the Mechanic author Julian Guthrie and Golden Gate Yacht Club Commodore Norbert Bajurin, has been racking up the frequent-flyer miles as of late. Undertaking an ambitious Hawaiian tour with more than half a dozen presentations on three different islands last week, the group did everything from holding fundraisers for yacht club junior programs and various local chapters of the nonprofit Better Business Bureau to public book signings, another yacht club appearance and even an intimate dinner presentation at Lanai’s famed Hotel Lanai.

With Larry Ellison’s purchase of the island of Lanai leading to rampant speculation about the Cup’s potential future in Hawaii, this most recent PR tour certainly begs the question: are Larry and company really planning to hold the 35th America’s Cup, or some element of it, in the Aloha State?

We don’t know, but by all accounts the Cup and its entourage were shown nothing but ‘aloha’ on their visit to the islands. With more than $5,000 reportedly raised for the Waikiki Yacht Club’s junior program, throngs of local sailing enthusiasts lined up to catch a glimpse of the Cup at sold-out venues wherever the Cup traveled. Event organizers were reportedly thoroughly impressed with Hawaii’s reaction to the oldest trophy in sport.

Commodore Bajurin and Oracle Team USA insider Guthrie predictably kept the America’s Cup plans close to their chests, but with Hawaii’s reliable trade winds, warm water, stunning scenery and mid-Pacific location between California and Australia/ New Zealand, the ‘Aloha State’ provides a compelling venue choice, to say the least. Although bringing the America’s Cup finals here seems unrealistic to many Cup observers, an AC World Series — using easy-to-ship AC 45s — would seem highly plausible, and provide significant commercial interest to sponsors like PRADA, Louis Vuitton and others. Time will tell. Stay tuned for updates here and in the pages of Latitude 38 magazine.