november2011

November2011SanDiegoMagazine.com 25

CityFiles

BEER WEEK + BLOGWORLD + FALL BOOTS (^) + SKI GETAWAYS
AMERICA’S CUP RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN STADIUM
A new group is bringing international sailing back to San Diego—up close and personal. We might have lost the America’s
Cup fi nal bid to San Francisco, but the World Series qualifying round takes place here November 12-20, when 15 teams from
12 countries challenge each other to match races on multimillion dollar AC45 catamarans. The idea is to make big boat sail-
ing a stadium-type spectator sport—and the stadium is all of San Diego Bay. The Port authorized grandstand seating along
Broadway pier, as the starting line is just 150 feet into the bay. Pulling feeds from individual windspeed indicators, over a
dozen cameras afi xed to each boat, and video from helicopters hovering above, huge outdoor fl atscreens will show all the
action live from around the bay. Visit sea-sandiego.org for more details on the race. // ERIN CHAMBERS SMITH