We spent a wonderful 3 days last weekend at the Strictly Sail Pacific show at Jack London Square, and we thank them for the invitation.  Our presence brought many curious faces wondering to the end of the dock, to the tallest mast at the show.  Letting people touch, feel and ask questions about ACsailingSF and USA 76 was a thrill for the crew as we showed her off.

A highlight for us was introducing professional sailing to Bay Area youth.  SailSFBay.org, in cooperation with the America’s Cup Event Authority, brought school kids around to board yachts and ask questions about the sport of sailing.  Many eager hands spun the coffee grinders and pretended to take the helm as they explored their curiosity for USA 76.

ACsailingSF is proud to launch the start of our Pro Sailor Speaker Series, happening the first Sunday of every month beginning in May.  This gives the public the opportunity to be joined by a professional sailor aboard USA 76.  Come and receive hands-on instruction from individuals who have made careers out of racing.

May 5th marks the inaugural event where we will be inviting ocean racer, Ryan Breymaier aboard for the day.  Ryan has an impressive career in offshore racing, including round the world races and experience in short-handed ocean-racing circuits.  His most recent accomplishment is having crewed aboard Maserati, the yacht that just set the record for sailing one of the world’s most challenging routes from New York to San Francisco via Cape Horn.

Happy Birthday USA 76! On July 4th, 2002, ORACLE Racing’s hope for the 31st America’s Cup was launched. Ten years later USA 76 is sailing frequently in front of the city she represented a decade ago, and continues to embody the spirit of the America’s Cup and San Francisco. ACsailingSF wishes all our friends, fans and followers a safe and memorable Independence Day!

This yacht just looks slick wherever it goes. This is another shot of the same corporate group from April 20.

USA 76 with corporate guests cruising downwind on San Francisco Bay

Despite the lack of wind today, I think everyone on board had a good time.  It’s interesting when there is a shared love of being on the water it doesn’t really matter what kind of day it is.  Regardless, we offered our guests another opportunity to join us again with a bit more breeze, free of charge…I just want everyone to experience what 76 is really capable of.  We also received excellent feedback and input on our website.  As a result we are going to work on a page describing the parts of the yacht, points of sail and basic sailing terms.

And as for the dock…

On what was otherwise a great sailing afternoon on San Francisco Bay, no amount of fun could hide the fact that this was September 11, 2011. As a small tribute to those many thousands affected on this day our crew carried a wreath and flag on the stern of USA 76.

September 11 tribute on ACsailingSF yacht USA 76

We’re here!!  Hard to believe in just 11 short months we have taken an idea and brought it to fruition.  There is still a lot to accomplish (docks, another IACC boat, more staff, more marketing…more customers!!) but to have USA 76 and the yacht America consistently sailing on the City Front, we are proud to be bringing a taste of the America’s Cup to San Francisco.

We share the vision of taking sailing to the masses and making it accessible for all, and we will be doing everything we can to support the America’s Cup and those focused on this goal.