Barcelona Welcomes the America’s Cup and Two-Plus Million Visitors

Reporter Craig Ligibel and his wife Colleen are attending their third Cup festivities and bring us another perspective on the America’s Cup underway in Barcelona. 

The picturesque seaside city of Barcelona has pulled out all the stops to welcome America’s Cup fans, crews and families to this 37th contesting of the oldest trophy in sport.

Organizers point to a projected economic impact of more than one billion euros and 20,000 new jobs.

Slip rental fees in the city’s marinas have quadrupled. Short-term leased apartments are nonexistent. Some locals decry the America’s Cup invasion. “Give us back our city,” read scattered protest posters.

But all in all, this city of paella, sangria and tapas has rolled out the welcome mat to give Cup-goers a favorable dose of Catalan hospitality. It seems that everywhere you look near the waterfront the beaches, bars and boats are filled with fans craning to get a glimpse of their favorite team. And downing beverages with a frothy head.

The six Cup teams and the invited Youth and Female teams have been hard at work practicing sailing their high-tech foiling sailboats for over six months. This is the culmination of over three years of hard work and millions of dollars.

Six teams began the quest for the 37th America’s Cup. Now it is down to two: the Defender Emirates New Zealand and the Challenger of Record INEOS Team Great Britain.

After three days of tightly contested racing, the victory count stood at New Zealand four wins to Team Great Britain’s zero. That changed on day four when INEOS Team Britannia took two races, closing the gap with the standings now NZ four and England two.

The New Zealand team has history in sight. Holder of the Auld Mug for the past two contests, Team New Zealand aims to be the first team in modern times to win the Cup three times in row.

A British team has never won the Cup. Their appearance in the Finals is the country’s first in 60 years.

Organizers have set up numerous free viewing Fan Zones scattered along several miles of Barcelona beaches. These are packed with food and adult-beverage vendors and flag-waving fans of all shapes and sizes. To this observer the Kiwi faithful seem to have the British outnumbered by a multiple of three or four.

Cheers of “Good on you, Peter (Burling)” and “Three in a row” echoed through the Silver Fern-festooned Kiwi crowd.

Each designated Fan Zone hosted approximately 10,000–15,000 revelers. More than 1000 spectator boats lined the two-mile-long race course. Joining the fun was Spanish King Felipe VI aboard the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I.

Flag-waving New Zealanders weren’t the only supporters in attendance. The excitement was high for everyone in Emirates Team New Zealand as they were joined by over 300 family members at the Barcelona base to cheer off the sailing team at a midday dock-out time.

Indigenous Māori tribesmen added to the occasion with a powerful haka as the Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Taihoro left the dock to be led out to the race course by Ngati Whatua Orakei, a traditional Māori waka (canoe).

Earlier, the Māori tribesmen welcomed the British team at the opening ceremonies, even going eyeball to eyeball with England’s most accomplished sailor and helmsman, Sir Ben Ainslie, who, despite being the beneficiary of what appeared to be a Māori curse, shrugged off the incantation as a “bit of showmanship … let’s fight it out on the water!”

The stage was set for the long-awaited start after a slight delay, waiting for the breeze to build over the minimum 6.5-knot wind limit, before Race Committee’s Mel Roberts declared, “We have reached the wind limit. This America’s Cup is now live!”

The wind here has been finicky … one day blowing at the AC75s’ upper limits of 15–20 knots; the next dropping to almost nothing, leaving the boats wallowing in displacement mode, barely able to make way.

Racing continues until one team has amassed seven victories. By the time you read this, the Kiwis may be close to shutting the door on the British. Go to www. Americascup.com for current standings. Live racing can be found on ESPN2.

Not to be lost in the excitement of the Cup Finals is the fact that two other Cup contests were concluded over the past two weeks. The Youth Team of Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli won the reinstated Youth America’s Cup, while the Italian female team won the first-ever Women’s America’s Cup. The dominance of the young Italians served notice on the rest of the fleet that they will be a force to reckon with in the years ahead.

According to custom, the team that wins the Cup determines the next Cup’s location and protocol.

Racing resumes on Friday.

Read our most recent AC race report here.