This past March Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) made it official. It and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron would, indeed, be ditching their fans in Auckland by making the port city of Barcelona, Spain, the venue for the 37th America’s Cup regatta. The decision came in the wake of months of acrimony and speculation following ETNZ’s announcement early last year that the financial package being offered by Auckland wouldn’t be sufficient for it to mount a successful defense.
In winning the hosting rights, Barcelona
