Entrance to New York Harbour, outside of which the New York YC
defenses took place from 1870 until 1930 when moved to Newport at
the start of the J-Boat era. The Statue of Liberty was unveiled on October
28, 1886, sixteen years after AC1 (the first Cup defense -- the race
around the Isle of Wight in 1851 was not a Cup defense per se.)


St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest decorated gothic-style Catholic
Cathedral in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and a parish church, located at 50th
Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, just across the street from
Rockefeller Center. Work was begun in 1858, but was halted during the
American Civil War, commencing again in 1865. The cathedral was
completed in 1878 and dedicated on May 25, 1879. By then Cup racing
was in full swing -- the NYYC's third defense had taken place three years
earlier; AC 4 was in 1881.


Speaking of the J-Boat era, construction of the
Empire State Building began in March of 1930 on the
site of the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at 350 Fifth
Avenue at 34th Street. It was completed 14 months
later in May, 1931. Designed by the architectural
firm of Shreve, Lamb, & Harmon Associates, the
Empire State Building, at 102 stories, was the tallest
building in the world until the completion of the first
tower of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan
in 1972.


Photos by TFE in NYC this week.

NYC 0800 Monday

Just turned on the tube here in the NYC hotel room to find USA-49 nicely framed bow-on to the Today Show cameras.


Today airs in the USA Monday-Friday in most markets from 0700-1000. It
has been the top-rated national morning TV show for ten years. There is
also a weekend edition.


One often-overlooked reason the '87 Cup developed such a large following in the USA was the Today Show's tour around Australia that coincided with the LV Finals and AC match in Fremantle in January-February of that year. When visiting Perth their studio set was outdoors overlooking the AC harbour. Those of you who were there will likely remember the NBC Today Show party and Willard Scott walking in larger than life with outstretched arms and an ear-to-ear grin, and announcing, "We is here."

Indeed they were, just as BMW ORACLE Racing is today -- and all this week and next -- on The Today Show.

As you will have read on our main team website, USA 49 arrived here in the Big Apple late Friday evening by truck from California.

Even without the updates from our logisitics team we would have known it was en route as Jane Eagleson and I have been receiving emails the past few days from people who were astonished to see the yacht trucking down the highways and byways of America. Some were already fans, some media; others didn't know what they were looking at until they apparently googled BMW ORACLE Racing, found our website or blog and contacted us.

Those of you in the USA who watched NBC's Today Show (weekend edition) Saturday morning would have seen the yacht being lifted into place and the mast stepped. The glass-walled Today Show studio is just a stone's throw from where 49 is set up in Rockefeller Plaza. No doubt the yacht and AC display will be making cameo appearances on the Today Show throughout this week and next.


Late Friday evening arrival of USA-49 into midtown Manhattan.


We checked out USA 49 Saturday evening after arriving NYC from VLC.
The yacht is right next to the Today Show studio and just above where
the famous Rockefeller Center skating rink is in the wintertime.


Looking back from the yacht to the Today Show studio. The open area
along 49's bow will be one of two pools with radio-controlled AC yachts
for the general public to try their hands at later in the week.


Security Guard Brian Tolan from Brooklyn said a lot of people were
stopping by to take pictures of 49. Some, he said, knew it was an
America's Cup yacht; others "have no clue and think it is weird but
kinda interesting to have a yacht in the middle of the City." Our
amigos católicos will be interested to know that the spike in the
background is part of St Patrick's Cathedral opposite Rock Ctr on the
east side of Fifth Avenue.


Today (Sunday) was the Puerto Rican Day parade up Fifth Ave. This pic
is looking across Fifth Ave to Rock Ctr over the parade and the happy,
boisterous throng assembled for one of Manhattan's biggest days each
year. It was good fun to take in the sights and sounds. Our good friend
and regular BOB reader Denise Holmberg (wife of Alinghi helmsman Peter
Holmberg) is a native of Puerto Rico and would have been proud. Wish
you were here, Denise!

Next week we will be blogging from New York City where BMWOR launches a unique exhibit in midtown Manhattan at Rockefeller Center. If you will be in the New York City area during the next couple weeks, be sure to stop by. Details on our team website, and stay tuned here for some of the fun.


"...it's up to you, New York, New York!"