Full Sail at $1 Million

Construction is almost complete on the San Diego Hall of Champions’ new sailing exhibit

by Erin Chambers Smith

CONSTRUCTION IS ALMOST COMPLETE on the San Diego Hall of Champions’ new sailing exhibit, set to debut early this summer in Balboa Park. The most amazing part about the new display? $945,000 in donations to bring the space to life, including a $500,000 gift from 1992 America’s Cup winner Bill Koch. “Bill Koch’s partnership has been key and we are excited to be on the brink of completion,” says Al Kidd, president of the San Diego Hall of Champions. “San Diego has hosted and won the America’s Cup in the past and we are excited to have an exhibit dedicated to showcasing sailing’s prominent role in San Diego.” The 4,500-square-foot exhibit will include a dedicated America’s Cup room with weather equipment, racing tactic simulators, and other high-tech interactive stations, as well as six scale models of actual America’s Cup boats and educational displays on the sport and its history in San Diego. Follow the exhibit's progress on sdsailing.tumblr.com.