Countdown to America’s Cup

Unless you have been living under a rock you will know that the America’s Cup starts in two days. Frankly, I always find it hard to get into. Sailing is one of the greatest participative sports but it’s not a great spectator sport.

I thought this time, I would make an effort by blogging about it, or at least being my usual magpie-like self and collecting other people’s interesting stuff about it. If you turn your eyes right, there are a couple of things you may find useful. Firstly links to all the America’s Cup team sites and the official site as well. Secondly an America’s Cup vodpod. I will add stuff to these over the course of the Cup.  The first set of videos are mostly promos. Hopefully, there will be some good TV footage to add once the thing starts.

One site really did grab my attention. Check out the Team Shosholoza’s site. It tell the Shosholoza story in  a wonderfully immersive way. Beautiful photography. If you haven’t followed the story about this syndicate, it’s one of the more inspiring stories. It’s the first ever African entry. Here’s a bit more about them:

Team Shosholoza is the first African crew to participate in the
America’s Cup in its more than 150 years of history. It embodies the
new optimism in the land of the Cape of Good Hope. The motto about the
youngest skipper of the America`s Cup, Mark Sadler, is: we can conquer
the world with enthusiasm, passion, and team spirit! The yachtsmen,
many of whom come from South Africa, represent South Africa’s cultural
variety, and they are determined to present their home country as a
modern, dynamic, and exciting country that can keep up with the best
sailors when it comes to ability and technical competence.

Shosholoza, the name of the team, comes from Zulu, the language of
the Zulu people and is the title of a song with a long tradition. For
example, it was sung by mineworkers in South Africa who had to do hard
physical labor. Now, it is part of the entire South African culture and
is also sung by soccer and rugby fans all over the country. Shosholoza
means “looking confidently ahead” or “rolling up your sleeves” – the
perfect motto for a young America’s Cup team.