Dr Gibbons On America’s Cup Planning Progress
The Government is “currently transitioning from a bid team structure to a more focused administrative organization” that will work closely with the America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] to facilitate the enquiries they are receiving, Minister of Education and Economic Development Dr. Grant Gibbons said today [Dec 17].
Dr. Gibbons said, “We are pleased with the excitement and enthusiasm that has been generated. We are also aware that many Bermudians and local companies are keen to find out as much as possible regarding how they can become involved in the America’s Cup events.
“As I have stated previously, most recently last Friday, when I tabled the America’s Cup Bill 2014, it is this Government’s intention that the benefits of the America’s Cup be spread widely throughout the community.
Dr. Gibbons continued, “The public should be aware that we are currently transitioning from a bid team structure to a more focused administrative organization – the ACBDA – that will work closely with the America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] to facilitate not only the enquiries we are receiving, but also the administration and oversight of Bermuda’s obligations as the host venue.
“The ACBDA will effectively serve as a conduit between Bermuda and those charged with the responsibility of delivering the various events. We anticipate this process will take another few weeks to complete and in this regard, we encourage the public’s patience as we work to put all the organizational elements in place.”
“We are hoping that in the early part of the New Year we will have our protocols and operational elements in place. Once this is complete, it is my intent to update the public accordingly.
“In the meantime, anyone interested in submitting enquiries or seeking information can either email info@americascup.bm or visit www.americascup.bm. We will log all enquiries and do our best to respond to them before the ACBDA is fully up and running,” concluded Dr. Gibbons.
The transparency and accessibility so far by government in regards to the America’s Cup is refreshing. Good Job guys!
IF you are thinking it might be easy to make money you better think again and read the bill. You can’t even say “unauthorized” cookies or make any reference to the cup or print a tee shirt unless you pay for the rights. apparently it cost about $100 million to enter a boat. wow. Out of my league.
It is pretty locked down. I guess they did not want an influx of cheap t-shirts but it does look pretty drastic for the man in the street …
Dr. Grant Gibbons,
Sir: We thank you for keeping us informed and abreast in reference to what is / will be taking place with the progress of the America’s Cup which is being hosted here in Bermuda!
Thankyou Minister Gibbons, for helping the struggle for jobs!
Has the PLP made an official statement on the America’s Cup yet?
Ok so Grant says “it is this Government’s intention that the benefits of the America’s Cup be spread widely throughout the community.”
But a previous article says this:
America’s Cup Bill: Vehicles, Exemptions & More
The America’s Cup legislation introduced in the House last Friday permits the America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] to import up to 80 motor vehicles up to limousine size and exempts ACEA from any fees payable under the Air Navigation Regulations 2012 in relation to helicopters and drones.
The bill permits America’s Cup Event Authority [ACEA] and its designated commercial partners to “import and licence for use on the road without paying any licence duty or fee which would otherwise be payable under the Motor Car Act 1951, a total of 12 motor vehicles up to Class H size and 80 motor vehicles up to limousine size.
Do we not have enough taxi’s & mini buses to accommodate these people? Is our transportation system insufficient? Where would the Bermuda people assist in the tranporation side of things? It seems unfair
Yah gunna need ah car cleaner ann gas.
Jingus.
Hallwayz vun…..
Did you even read the act? Who do you think is designated to drive those 80 vehicles?
It’s a crying shame that certain people have difficulty counting any further than what they’re permitted to count when using fingers thumbs and toes
Believe me you, the influx of visitors will exceed the number of public vehicles…
When you pry the you become pry !
*prey*
Upset: Perhaps if Bermuda didn’t have what is quite possibly the very worst taxi service in the world, then things might have been different. The taxi industry cooked their own goose by being so consistently bad decade after decade. So don’t complain now. You did it to yourselves and you are now irrelevant – just like the PLP.
Read the wonderful comments from OBA supporters. Where they paid? The questions being asked are NOT being answered.
As I attempted to write earlier “when you pry , you become the prey !” I got plenty of crowbars !!!
where did you steal those from?
Didn’t steal them , the OBA were giving them away pre December 2012 !
I will be contacting them on behalf of BBI Royal Yacht Club. Commodore JB has asked me to get him more publicly involved in AC2017 because he feels his behind the scenes work is complete and he will make more money to add to his billions if he is publicly involved.
Surely, “Ensign Smiley” and “Commodore JB” are aware that true gentlemen are humble, do not flaunt wealth, fib or self promote.
Fig leaf, on behalf of BBI Royal Yacht Club I wish to inform you tbat Commodore JB is a billionaire and wants to be the Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather of billionaire yachtsmen.
The AC didn’t choose Bermuda to make us rich . We were chosen primarily to save that organization millions in taxes . We will subsidize the event and at the end of the day AC will sail away into the sunset . Some will undoubtably make some money ,but the masses will remain watching and salivating on the sideline as unimaginable wealth parades out of reach before their hungry eyes .
We’ll never satisfy the cynics
So should we cancel Cup Match because only certain vendors and only some people make some money but the majority don’t??? The America’s Cup is a sports event, not some financial lottery giving away free money… However, it is perhaps the 3rd largest sporting event in the world, and will bring a lot of money to our shores, and will help a lot of hard working individuals who choose to capitalize on this. But if you expect to receive something for doing nothing you are surely mistaken, that is not how the world works. This will help promote the island as a world class destination for years to come, but that doesn’t mean life will be easy and we no longer have to work for a paycheck!
Coffee…and you know this how exactly? Based on your years of planning and hosting America’s Cup event around the world or is this because it suits your narrow political agenda? Bermuda has won a world class prestigious event that will increase economic activity throughout our little island. If you want to only focus on the negative because it wasn’t your party that pulled it off, so be it. I don’t give a darn who reeled in the America’s Cup fish, I intend on enjoying the banquet when it happens. You can sit outside and sulk while the rest of us enjoy ourselves at the party. SMH
San Diego rightly objected to the vast concessions that would have saved AC millions .. Don’t take my word , just read a little . Inform yourself , you really don’t have to be mendacious all the time .
No, we were chosen because we make a great sailing venue.
I know you hate to see it. Bermudians getting jobs, hotels being built, investment in Bermuda. It makes you sick, we all know.
Whaaaaammmmbbbbuuullllannnnceee alert.
Yes this is terrible for the “masses” and will be Bermuda’s downfall. With your prediction of drool and hunger in the streets this is clearly the apocalypse of sporting events.
Coffee you should start a petition to cancel America’s Cup. Someone has to stop this madness.
Just run this buy all the shop owners, taxi drivers,waiters, construction workers, hotel workers, cleaners, etc first. I assum you mean them when you refer to the “masses”.
How long have you been living ? It’s the way the world works , trickle down , the strong will survive .
Just yesterday Coffee was saying we should go independent and cater to the filthy rich.
We were chosen primarily because of the time zone which makes it easier to watch in the UK and Europe ….. it’s called commercialism
I have a job, not a 100K job but I have a job, so what I want to know is where do I volunteer? I volunteer for the Rugby Classic, the Small Island Games, and even Cup Match. I’m happy to get free admission to the venue, maybe a free dinner or access to a free show. So unlike the rest of you who have your hands out waiting for your freebie, all I want to do is put my hand up and ask “where do I volunteer”?
I presume that Coffee is totally opposed to the whole idea of Bermuda hosting the most prestigous event in the sailing world, and one of the biggest and best sporting events in the world which does not need huge stadiums and enormous amounts spent on infrastructure.
He, or she, clearly wants to paint the worst possible scenario of the America’s Cup, but I get the distinct impression that his or her vision is clouded by jealousy and sour grapes because bringing this huge project to Bermuda has clearly been the brainchild of a group of far-sighted people led by the present Government.
Despite his or her protestations I find that Bermuda is abuzz with positive vibes about 2017, which must be extremely depressing for those who would see any success by the present Government as anti-PLP.
At this point the OBA Government is keeping us fully informed of what they are doing and what they are planning to do, as they are also letting us know how much it is costing us for Government Ministers to travel abroad on our business. Long may this openness and transparency continue because it is setting a standard for all our future Government’s to follow.
Wouldn’t it be truly remarkable and a complete turnaround for Bermuda if the Opposition would start by offering their full support to the Island while still asking pertinent questions as to how we will benefit from hosting the AC.
Larry Ellison takes America’s Cup outside of U.S. to get his way Published 2:30 pm, Wednesday, December 17, 2014
1
Remember the America’s Cup? Those were the days, eh? Monumental hype, epic races and crashes on San Francisco Bay, and controversy on top of controversy.
At the end of the day, the 2013 Cup had sunny weather, big crowds and a remarkable comeback win by Larry Ellison’s Oracle team. So as defending champion, he got to pick any site for the Cup, which will be held in 2017.
And two weeks ago he picked … wait for it … Bermuda. It’s the first time in the 163-year history of the event that an American defender has not chosen a venue in the United States to stage the Cup.
That is certainly Ellison’s right. In San Francisco, he changed the boats from stodgy, slow monohulls to 72-foot catamarans that could jet over the waves at nearly 60 mph.
And to be perfectly honest, San Francisco officials were hardly heartbroken to be out of the running for the 2017 Cup. They’d had it with Ellison and his team. More than one insider said the secret cheer at City Hall was, “Go, New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, Ellison had just about enough of media like The Chronicle pointing out inconsistencies, demands and entitled behavior.
Ellison apparently wanted to be praised and admired. We were more like, “Uh, Larry, you promised us a fleet of eight to 12 boats and you only delivered three. And by the way, the 72-footers are so big and unwieldy that they are scary and dangerous.”
Ellison is on the case this time. The boats will be smaller, 60 feet, will “only” reach speeds of 50 mph, and there will be a lot more of them. Five challengers have already committed, with five more “expressing interest.”
Fine. But there’s a little unfinished business. Understand, this isn’t sour grapes. It would take a personal appearance by King Neptune to get San Francisco to consider hosting again. And even then the financials surely wouldn’t pencil out for skeptical local politicians. It’s not going to happen.
But step into The Chronicle time machine and travel back to the giddy days when the Cup was going to be on the bay. The previous Cup had been a bit of a dud. Held in Valencia, Spain, it generated so little buzz that U.S. television networks ignored it.
San Francisco, the narrative went, was going to create the new wave of sailing. The big, fast boats, the up-close spectators and the convenient West Coast location were going to democratize the sport. With the help of amazing TV graphics, the America’s Cup was going to go mainstream.
We can argue about how that worked out. An optimist would say the weather was utterly awesome, the TV pictures amazing and crowds of sailing neophytes lining the bay were amazed.
Yeah, Ellison would say, but the media didn’t fawn over me like everyone promised.
So he went to Bermuda. Lovely weather, an amphitheater harbor and a time zone favorable to European TV.
Swell. But what happened to bringing the Cup to the masses? Bermuda is a two-hour flight from the East Coast. The location virtually guarantees the spectators will be the traditional, wealthy sailing crowd.
Kind of makes you wonder why Ellison picked Bermuda doesn’t it? After all, San Diego, for example, was eager to host, had a great site and a sailing tradition.
Well here’s a possibility. Bermuda wanted the event so badly that, according to Minister of Economic Development Grant Gibbons, it put together a $77 million package for Ellison’s Cup. That includes a $15 million fee to the event authority, $25 million to cover any sponsor shortfall and $25 million to prepare and maintain an America’s Cup village.
Wow. As someone who was on the inside of San Francisco’s Cup bid says, that’s $45 million more than the total San Francisco spent, and after sponsorships were included the city’s contribution was just $24 million. (The final event shortfall was $5 million after sales and endorsement money came in.)
So maybe we misunderstood Ellison. Maybe instead of bringing sailing to the masses, what he really meant was he was bringing masses of money to sailing.
But the press coverage in Bermuda is expected to be very flattering.
so in other words Bermuda paid out of the *** to host this event
shouldn’t be a surprise everything in Bermuda is overpriced
So apparently Bermuda didn’t “WIN” the AMERICAS CUP , BERMUDA BOUGHT THE AMERICAS CUP ! With borrowed money I might add .
It wasn’t some great geniuses who brokered some amazing coup , it seems to me that …… Well San Francisco actually lost money hosting what we’ve ” WON”!
why does everybody assume that Gibbons is talking about the money
he said and I quote “it is this Government’s intention that the benefits of the America’s Cup be spread widely throughout the community”
he clearly doesn’t state economic benefits
and how could he
Bermuda’s local economy is geared towards monopolization and those monopolies have been created generations ago
it therefore stands to reason that those well established businesses will receive the lion’s share of the economic windfall
unless if an enterprising young person creates their own unique niche
apart from that it will be business as usual
everybody else will probably get a free Tourism Authority’s “America’s Cup 2017 Bermuda” tee shirt as their benefit
Um just grateful for the chance see my struggling Bermudians getting the chance at a job cuz of AC preparations ectt.. Cuz the PLoP’s depression is REAL!!!
Humans,
We are seriously a demise to ourself ..
When are the aliens coming !!!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about this event.
And I’ve had to work hard within myself to detach from my own stinking thinking about our people and our attitudes that sometimes causes us to perform at much less than our best. I so badly want all of us to embrace with joy this wonderful event and participate in some way in making it the best event that we can.
So my challenge to myself and to anyone who doesn’t see the personal benefits of this event, is to go out and research, search and find the benefits that will exist for you and your family.
Let it be a confidence builder.
Good news.
Let the news bring each one of us hope and abundance.
You see, it’s just as joyful to see someone really loving something as it is for the person loving the event!
And we all benefit from enthusiasm, realism and confidence building. And these energies create more of the same.
So, no, I’m not a boat lover. But I love to paint boats because my husband loves them so and I love him.
So today and every day, expand the horizons of your joy and let them continue to get bigger and broader as you travel through this journey that is called life.
Right now the industrious are out making contacts which will hopefully result in contracts for various services the AC syndicates & spectators will need.
Meanwhile there are those sitting on a wall waiting for opportunity, a handout would be better, to come to them. These people will still be sitting on that wall come 2017, when all of the contracts have long since been made, moaning that the AC has brought nothing for them.
Too bad.
Well done OBA helping Bermuda and therefore Bermudians to survive and continue to live a life that BILLIONS of people in the world would love to have.