News Release

AmericaOne Makes Waves on San Francisco Bay

Mayor Willie Brown Joins Skipper Paul Cayard in Presenting AmericaOne to the Bay Area

AmericaOne

SAN FRANCISCO, California (July 19, 1997) — AmericaOne, the St. Francis Yacht Club's challenger for the 2000 America's Cup, announced today the arrival of the first International America's Cup Class boat to sail on San Francisco Bay. (Click on the photos to see larger images.)

Paul Cayard

The ceremonies were held at the St. Francis Yacht Club on the Marina Green. The Honorable Willie L. Brown Jr., mayor of San Francisco, joined AmericaOne skipper and CEO Paul Cayard in celebration of AmericaOne's presence and its significance to The City.

AmericaOne

For sailing and non-sailing enthusiasts alike, the arrival of the 75-foot AmericaOne boat and its first sail on the bay signifies that San Francisco's newest sports team has passed another milestone in its quest for the 2000 America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand.

Mayor Willie Brown

"There is no doubt in my mind that the city of San Francisco, its citizens and businesses have a lot to gain by supporting AmericaOne's efforts to win the America's Cup," said Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr. "This competition, which could bring sailing's premier event to San Francisco Bay, will bring special pride to the Bay Area, home to the leading technology companies and the most talented sailors in the nation. I believe we offer AmericaOne the perfect training ground for world-class sailing."

Unveiling the transom.

"The America's Cup is sailing's most prestigious trophy — it is considered the Super Bowl of sailing. Our primary goal at AmericaOne is to bring this global competition back to the United States, specifically to the best arena this sport can have, San Francisco Bay," said Paul Cayard, AmericaOne skipper and CEO. "It is important to bring sailing to a broader public and to show how the benefits of local technology can make a difference in a race of this caliber which places a premium on technical disciplines."

Video Clip of Paul Cayard and boat sailing.

Video Clip of Mayor Brown and boat sailing.

Historical Background
Renamed AmericaOne, the boat formerly known as Il Moro di Venezia V was built in 1991 and competed in the 1992 America's Cup final match. Il Moro, with Paul Cayard as skipper, defeated all the other challengers to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and went on to race in the America's Cup match against Bill Koch's America³.

AmericaOne will be used for a full program of corporate team building, community programs, client entertainment and supporter hospitality activities, which form part of AmericaOne's marketing program. The boat will also be used for crew tryouts and training beginning in June, 1998. [Read the earlier story.]

As one of 18 challengers, including six U.S. teams, AmericaOne was formally established June 1, 1996. Though the Cup was almost four years off, the level of competition, and the research and design required, justified such preparedness. To win the right to race for the Cup against the defender, Team New Zealand, AmericaOne will endure a grueling elimination process, which begins in November, 1999.

AmericaOne is dedicated to recapturing the America's Cup through a commitment to excellence, utilizing the power of U.S. technology, including aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, sail design, naval architecture and structural engineering. AmericaOne technology partners include Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and Failure Analysis Inc.

Operating since June 1, 1996, the AmericaOne team is comprised of 28 people actively working in design/technology, operations, sailing, marketing, and media and public relations.

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For further information, please contact:

Sue Maffei Plowden	e-mail: smaffei@americaone.org
Gina Anderlini	e-mail: ganderlini@americaone.org
Phone:	415-474-3425
Fax:	415-474-3571

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