World Tour President Scott MacLeod (USA, left) said: "We think we've assembled an outstanding field for our first event in the USA. There are eight teams representing Cup syndicates and it'll be fun to see whether the younger sailors can upset the Cup veterans." Center is Richard A. Pfaff, Commodore of host St Francis YC. Right, Allianz's clever sponsoring manager, Bjoern Widemann (GER). Since this photo was taken last month, Oracle Corp has joined Allianz as "presenting sponsor."

The prestigious St Francis YC, fronting the Bay in San Francisco's "Marina" district, host of next week's Allianz Cup and the renowned weekly "Wednesday Yachtsmans' Luncheon." Photo courtesy of St F YC.