33rd America’s Cup yacht race to be webcast for free

YES! All you sailboat racing fans can stop worrying about who in their right mind will carry the 33rd America’s Cup thanks to a decision by Consortio Valencia 2007, the event organizers: the event will be streamed over the internet for free. Taking place next month in Valencia, Spain, this years America’s Cup will pit America’s BMW-Oracle against the defending Swiss Alighi team. There is nothing traditional about this years edition.

The Cup race has been in court over the past 2 1/2 years wrangling over issues such as boats (BMW-Oracle will race in a 3 hulled boat, or trimaran) while the defender will race a two hulled catamaran. The race was going to take place in the United Arab Emirates, but complaints on the proximity of potential security threats threw the Cup back into court for a change of venue.

Currently, the Cup is still in court to decide if the Swiss team has violated the nationality rules by having US-made sails on their boat. The case could penalize the Swiss or push back the event date.

Event site: [America's Cup]