An entry for the 2007 America's Cup — international yacht racing's Holy Grail — will be built in Skagit County (state of Washington, USA) by BMW Oracle Racing.

The mold for the sleek, 80-foot sloop will be constructed at Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley and the high-tech hull will be built of composite materials in Anacortes.

BMW Oracle Racing — the new incarnation of 2003 America's Cup contender Oracle Racing — said Thursday that it plans to lease a 20,000-square-foot industrial building in Anacortes which currently houses North Island Boat Co.

An entry for the 2007 America's Cup will be built in Skagit County by BMW Oracle Racing. The mold for the sleek, 80-foot sloop will be constructed at Janicki Industries in Sedro-Woolley and the high-tech hull will be built of composite materials in Anacortes. BMW Oracle Racing - the new incarnation of 2003 America's Cup contender Oracle Racing - said Thursday that it plans to lease a 20,000-square-foot industrial building in Anacortes which currently houses North Island Boat Co.

As it did while building the 2003 yachts, the team plans to rely on Puget Sound's boat and aerospace industry to help it construct much of its 2007 America's Cup racers, said Jane Eagleson, a spokeswoman for the team. "We'll be building a number of major components in the Seattle area," Eagleson said. Members of the racing team said they wanted to be close to Janicki Industries, which built a hull mold for BMW Oracle in 2001.

The yacht built from that mold competed in New Zealand in the last America's Cup, held in 2003, and is still raced and used for training purposes. Tim Smyth, a member of BMW Oracle Racing, said the 10-nation team chose Anacortes for the hull construction process because the members would be able to fit into the community and it was close to Janicki Industries. "When you come with a bunch of people and families and all that … you rely on the towns that have a sort of a tourist population," Smyth said." They tend to accommodate people for the short-term better." Janicki-made molds were used to build one of the team's 2003 America's Cup yachts. The boat was built in Ventura, Calif. - Source: Skagit Valley Herald www.skagitvalleyherald.com/articles/2005/01/14/news/news99.txt