New billboard by BMW Spain that greets passengers as they
exit the baggage claim area into the terminal at VLC. Great
concept!

He came, he saw, he blessed, he left. Many of our teammates had sky-box seats for yesterday's mass mass conducted by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI which was celebrated on a specially-built (over the past two months) open-air alter on a brdige over the old Turia in la area known here as the "Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias." A number of team apartments, and those of many other AC personnel here, overlook the venue.

Media reports said there were up to a million people for Sunday's mass. We were happy to watch it from the suburbs on TV. Speaking of which, as usual for papal events, the TV was superb. ACM could learn a few things from the Vatican. As Pope John Paul II is reported to have said, "If it doesn't happen on TV, it doesn't happen."


We are told this photo was shot from the top of the Torre de Francia, the
big white apartment tower on Avenida de Francia in which a number of our
team reside. The apartment building is the tallest residential structure in
Spain, and casts a bit of a shadow.

Courtesy of our friends at Valencia Life:

Valencia today is breathing an air of expectancy with the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI to participate in and close the World Family Forum. As soon as he arrives, there will be a tremendous peal of all the church bells in Valencia, generating a sound value of some 120 decibels. The Pope’s first action after his motorcade has left the airport and traveled into the City will be to stop at the de Jesus metro station, pray for a short while, and leave a floral tribute to the 42 who died in the recent Metro accident. Receiving Benedict at the station will be the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, as well as several of those who participated in the rescue of the victims. The Pontiff will then travel on to a meeting with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Also, some of the statistics concerning the Pope’s visit have been highlighted: 1.5 million people are expected to attend the Mass tomorrow presided by Benedict XVI. And the television audience for the event, which is being retransmitted by local station RTVV as host broadcaster, is expected to reach an audience of more than 300 million. Some 4,000 journalists have been credited to cover the event, which will be watched over by 8,000 policemen and soldiers as well as 12,000 volunteers, whilst in the skies overhead NATO AWACS aircraft will further ensure the security of the event. On the ground, some 30 marquees have been set up for the pilgrims, as have 3,000 drinking fountains. More than 650 doctors, nurses and auxiliary health workers will be on standby as will be 37 mobile health care centres.

This weekend His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will be in Valencia for the World Forum on the Family. Following is an excerpt from an email sent to team members Tuesday by Sofia Barraclough (ESP, Family Services Coordinator) as a heads up on the expected impact on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in and around VLC this weekend....


SCHEDULE

Saturday 8th morning and early afternoon: After arrival at Valencia's Manises airport at around 11.30 a.m. the Pontiff will be welcomed with a ceremony, followed by his address to the gathering. From the airport the Pope will be driven in an open vehicle to the cathedral of Valencia in the city centre. Pope Benedict will then visit the cathedral, the Holy Chalice Chapel and the Basilica. After reciting the Angelus in the basilica's square, the Pope will be received in the residence of Archbishop Agustín García-Gasco of Valencia, where the Pope will reside during his stay in Valencia.

Saturday 8th evening: The Pope will then go in an open car to the testimonial meeting, which beginning at 8 p.m., will gather more than a million pilgrims at the Puente de Monteolivete (Alameda - Francia Area) in a context of prayer and testimonies.

On Sunday 9th: the Pontiff will preside over the solemn closing Mass at 9:30 a.m. on the Monteolivete bridge. At the end of the Mass he will lead the recitation of the Angelus. After taking bidding farewell to the pilgrims, the Pontiff will leave Manises at 1 p.m. on his flight back to Rome. Family Forum celebrations will continue in the Monteolivete Bridge area until the afternoon and on Monday 10th.

In addition to this, the Spanish Royal Family in full, the president of the Government and many other politicians will be present. So security will be at an all time high over the weekend.

TRAFFIC

Friday 7th from 15:00 hrs: Traffic will be cut as shown on map Area 1; a printed map will be put in each staff member's cubbyhole. (A big one is on notice board in coffee area.) Affecting the centre area of the city, as in Fallas, and extending along the river to the end of Alameda.

Traffic will remain cut until Sunday night or early Monday morning.
Only Paseo Alameda will remain cut off all Monday due to Family Forum in the river.

PARKING

Parking will be forbidden during this time on the streets: Avenida Francia, Paseo Alameda, Calle Menorca and all minor streets that lead off these. Much of the Old Town will be no parking either. Look out for NO PARKING signs that will be put up provisionally all over town.

Other traffic blockades: The Pope will be visiting the city in his pope mobile, at different times over the weekend, which means traffic will also be cut sporadically in other areas of the city as he is driven through, going to and from airport, from Cathedral to river etc. For security reasons, his route will not be made public, so just be patient if you are caught in an area that is temporarily cut off. These areas could be anywhere in the Area 2 or Area 3 (see map.)

PEDESTRIANS

People on foot will not be forbidden to access cut off streets and will be able to move freely through the city, BUT due to the huge amount of visitors this may be difficult at times. If certain areas are too packed, police may stop more people from accessing the crowded areas, but if you are a resident trying to get to your house, you can show the policemen proof of where you live so he will give you priority getting through. [See Sofia's email for details.]

IDENTIFICATION

You need to carry identification AT ALL TIMES, by Spanish law. At times like these when security will be extremely tight, make sure you are carrying either or both of (a) your Spanish Resident Card ("NIE") and (b) your Passport. Driving licenses are NOT a valid form of identification.

CARS

Although the roadblocks will be lifted from time to time for residents to get in and out of the area, we do not recommend you risk leaving your car in the restricted area. Best to leave your car at the Base, from where you will be able to drive out of the city easier.

GETTING OUT OF TOWN

If you are planning on escaping the city, it is recommended you travel on Thursday evening or Friday morning to avoid the rest of the Valencians leaving town. On Friday evening there will be a congregation at the Malvarrosa beach, so the traffic may be cut off around the Port area (similar very messy situation as on 21/22 June -- San Juan's night).

GETTING BACK INTO TOWN

On Sunday evening, to allow the thousands of visitors out of the city, extra lanes will be given to leaving traffic, so there will be fewer lanes (on some motorways only one lane,) coming back into town. Huge traffic jams can be expected for cars returning to Valencia. We recommend you return to Valencia Monday morning instead of Sunday evening.

MOBILE PHONES

For security reasons, mobile coverage will be interrupted on and off during the Pope's visit, so don't depend on your mobiles over the weekend, nor bother calling Vodafone for explanations (the Madrid terrorist bombings of 2003 where detonated by mobile phones).

* * * * *

Inasmuch as Papa Benedicto is not only German but Bavarian, will we see a Popemobile by BMW?

Yesterday most of us got the shocking news of the subway accident here in VLC from a team text advising us of the tragedy. (Our team uses SMS -- mobile phone texting -- to keep us wired together on daily schedules and important developments.)

Some of us heard about it first from concerned family and friends calling from around the world -- news of the tragedy had spread rapidly and globally via CNN, BBC, etc.

As far as we know this morning, no one directly involved in the America's Cup (let alone our team) was among those who were injured or died.

The government has decreed three days of mourning for the victims that will start today, with a five minute silence in front of local institutions. Funeral services for the victims will take place early this evening with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia expected to be present. An extensive enquiry is currently under way to determine the causes of the accident. Thus far it would appear that excessive speed that caused one of the wheels to come off the lead carriage were the main reasons for the tragedy -- not terrorism as many initially feared.

Flags at the team bases were lowered to half mast yesterday afternoon, and last night's big ACM party was cancelled out of respect for those who lost their lives and their grieving families.

We share their grief and offer our heartfelt condolences to those who lost a loved-one yesterday. At least for another year, this is our hometown, too. Monday's shocking event is yet another reminder of our fragile existence here and everywhere.

As Larry Ellison has said, the only true miracle is life itself.

Those of us who have been living here for the past two-plus years sometimes forget the remarkable transformation that has slowly unfolded in and around the Darsena, now known as the Port America's Cup.

Julie Ash wrote a nice piece about it in this morning's New Zealand Herald. And while it was a bit hazy here in VLC yesterday, you might discount the bit about "Valencia fog" -- it is not often foggy here, at least not by comparison with Newport, San Francisco or even Auckland for that matter:


Team bases slice through Valencia fog

Friday June 23, 2006
By Julie Ash


Four Spanish fishermen sat in the America's Cup port yesterday, their lines gently bobbing in the water.

Directly across from them a handful of multi-million dollar yachts were docked, overshadowed by 12 super-sized team bases on each side.

Bold enough to try their luck with the fish in among all the razzmatazz that is now the America's Cup in Europe, you get the feeling that you will probably see the quartet back this time next year when the real event is unfolding.

Just like those rusty old fishing boats which littered Auckland's Viaduct Harbour when the event was held there.

Before the cup came along, the port in Valencia was not unlike the Viaduct - inundated with fishermen and consisting of a few run-down buildings.

Auckland was left with a smart area of cafes and restaurants, but it is hard to predict what will happen to Valencia once the cup teams leave.

However, it is hard not be overwhelmed with the set-up.

A magnificent clock tower building graces the entrance. The 12 team bases - double (if not triple) the size of those in Auckland, and painted in their teams' colours - form a half circle round each side.

All include areas for corporate entertaining. But for the really important folk, a four-storey building featuring giant windows has been built.

It's called the Foredeck Cub, and it seems to be from another planet. For €58,895 ($121,127) you can entertain 40 guests for three or four days of racing during the challenger series semifinal, finals and the Cup.

Security has been beefed up since the last event. Unlike Auckland, where fans were able to roam freely, the whole area in Valencia has been blocked off to create a village.

Full story


Graphic courtesy of ACM. Click here for a larger, detailed view.

With the twelve teams in final preps for Act 12, the 1230 dock out looks more like a parade of sail -- especially when it's bouncy outside the harbour, as the teams prefer to hoist their mainsails inside the Port America's Cup before towing out into the rough water.


From the back of the parade to the front: ESP, USA-76, RSA, ITA/39,
USA-87, NZL. Great picture, courtesy of Pierre Orphanidis and
Valencia Sailing. As usual, click on the image to enlarge.

Just posted on the CC Blog is another story on life in Valencia that may be of interest to our team members and families.

We know from your emails after previous posts here and on the Challenger Commission Blog of the interest in how things are shaping up in the Port America's Cup, formerly known as la Dársena Interior. So here's a bit more of the latest.

No surprise, most continue to call the Port America's Cup "the Dársena." Proper Spanish pronunciation is "DAR say nah"; however, many Anglos mangle the accent, pronouncing it "dar SAY nah" to the amusement of the locals.

A construction site by any other name is still a construction site, and at the moment the area is, well, a big one. However, as with many projects in Spain, it seems once they get under way progress es muy rápido -- if not always to German standards of fit and finish.

The Dársena developments that have received the most notice are the team bases, the super yacht dock and "the canal" (as it is called locally -- canal is the Spanish word both for the English "canal" and "channel").

A less obvious, but welcome development is the new roadway/railway that has closed off the waterway between the Dársena and the container port, parallel to the railway drawbridge (soon to be removed, or so we are told). Welcome because it is the new truck route from the motorway in and out of the Port. The old route was around the north side of the Dársena, along what is now AC Base Row, and then across the spit of land between the Dársena and the Med (to the east) that the canal now cuts through. What a relief to no longer have the heavy truck traffic rumbling past the bases! It was not only a nuisance but a safety hazard to those accessing the bases whether by car, bike or on foot.




Also, the City is in the midst of creating one way traffic corridors in and out of the Port America's Cup. At the moment driving is a bit of a mission in the area as they convert the present two-way streets and do the attendant underground infrastructural work. Avenida Baleares has recently become one way outbound from the PAC, and Avenida del Puerto will soon be one way inbound. One can only hope that all these roadworks will be done and dusted before Acts 10 and 11 in May.




These following pix were taken yesterday (Saturday), and, as with those above, you can click on them to enlarge....


From the third-floor deck of the BMWOR Base, the view of our neighbor
to the west, Luna Rossa. Noted architect Renzo Piano designed their base.
That's real sail cloth bonded to the outside panels. Neat looking -- we'll see
how well it weathers.


Looking south from our Base across the end of the super yacht dock
to the new roadway/railway (between the upright bridge spans) across
what had been the channel between the Dársena and the container
port. Before the new canal, teams had to tow through the busy port
to get to and from the Med. We are told the drawbridge, which
was for trains only, is being removed for use in another Spanish city.


Our easterly neighbors -- Shosholoza, +39 and Alinghi. The large
building under construction in the background (and it is large
-- that's only three of its final four-stories!) is situated along the canal
in what will be the public America's Cup Park. It will have retail shops
on the ground floor, with ACM's VIP hospitality center ("Foredeck Club")
and the Mayor's operations/hospitality center on the upper levels.


This was taken from the north side of the canal looking west back
into the Dársena, more or less the obverse of the preceding photo.


There is now a narrow channel in the canal through which an ACC
yacht can pass (see this post on the Challenger Commission blog from
last week). Dredging continues, and we are told the entire canal will
be at least 5 meters deep.


The Med (easterly) end of the canal is guarded by the new groin/seawall
(background) that wraps well around to the right (south), thus protecting
the canal mouth from the onshore southeasterly seabreeze-driven chop.
Last week the central government approved funding for the construction
of a large marina in the elbow of the groin (background, left). This area
outside of the canal and inside the groin is now being called, perhaps
predictably, the Dársena Exterior. Smiling in the foreground is Valencian
architect and sailor Jose Luis Soler, the affable and competent head
of ACM's spectator boat control (on the water during racing) under
Regatta Director Dyer Jones.

Check the Challenger Commission Blog for the post about two new laws that took effect in Spain yesterday -- one ending the siesta for government workers, the other banning smoking in public buildings.