By Sharael Feist
March 21, 2001
Waves crash over bows, a blistering sun strikes stark white sails, wind whisks boats across the water, and sailors scramble across decks. America’s Cup 2000, the most prestigous sailing race in the world, is off and running.
The fierce race, which commands only the world’s best sailors (and which made onetime captain Ted Turner famous), makes a surprisingly gripping spectator sport. But unless you’ve bought tickets to Auckland, New Zealand, where this year’s battle launches, you can forget about catching the waves start-to-finish on TV.
Despite skimpy TV coverage, the Net is forcing a sea-change in audience participation. A slew of Web sites let you get an inside look at the competitors as they vie for the oldest trophy in professional sports.
Log on to Americascup.org daily to read e-mails from the competitors, see digital photos and videos, listen to audio, and get the latest race results.
Quokka: America’s Cup official Website
The America’s Cup competition started October 18 with the Louis Vuitton races, where teams go head-to-head to determine who will challenge the cup’s defender, Team New Zealand, in February.
Since this is a four-month competition, the Internet is a good resource for keeping up daily with the winners and losers.
Most America’s Cup teams have gone high tech and crafted their own websites, where you can find information about team members, team histories, and the latest team news. But you can surf further into the Web, where cool sailing sites will float your boat. From buying one-person boats to competing in a virtual race, there’s enough sailing stuff online that you can practically taste the briny ocean air.
If you long to let salt water sting your eyes and wind whip your hair, going online is the next best thing to being there.