Hands off our bay, unless you want to pay.
The state agency tasked with preserving San Francisco Bay for all area residents -- not just the ones with million-dollar yachts to match their million-dollar views -- issued harsh words for the organizers of America's Cup in a recent letter, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Their message: beware the yachts. As in the marina the city and Cup organizers want to build along Rincon Park along the Embarcadero near the Bay Bridge. That'd mean sacrificing "this special place along the San Francisco waterfront" as it is the only place in San Francisco's downtown that combines "space for play, quiet contemplation, viewing the bay and other activities," according to the state's Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
The quarter-mile of open harbor between Piers 14 and 22 1/2 would be reserved for yachts too big to fit into existing city marinas, according to the Chronicle's John King. That'd mean instead of wide-open bay views, plebian San Franciscans would stare at the whitewashed decks and sides of huge private boats.
That space has been off-limits to the Port of San Francisco since a 2000 agreement. It's unclear as to why that should be changed, just because Larry Ellison's boating boys will be in town in 2013.
