AC45F racing sailboat Oracle Team USA sails in the rain past lower Manhattan during practice racing ahead of the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, May 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Six teams including some of the world's best sailors were set to race ultra-light, high-tech catamarans at near highway speeds around New York Harbor this weekend in what organizers hope is a mass appeal on-water event, all done on smaller budgets than past pre-America's Cup competitions.The thousands of shoreline spectators expected to linethe Hudson River will not come away with an impression of an elite regatta being pulled off on the cheap in one of the world's most expensive cities.The Saturday and Sunday races help select the final two teams to vie for the oldest trophy in sports, known as the "Auld Mug."
The America's Cup race has been held every few years since 1851, except for pauses during the world wars.New York kicks off the two U.S. legs of the 14-month plus America's Cup World Series (ACWS).
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