China Teams ends up in a supermarket parking lot

Given the limbo the 33rd America's Cup is currently in and the very uncertain future, it shouldn't surprise anyone the fact that teams that took part in the previous editions have decided not to enter this time, or at least put their plans on hold.

One of them seems to be China Team, the first ever challenger from China, that apparently moved most of their assets out of their base in Port America's Cup into a supermarket parking lot. They are now about half a mile from their previous base, right in the middle of one of Valencia's main avenues.

This doesn't necessarily mean they are finished but it is a clear sign their return in the world's oldest sports competition is not imminent. One shouldn't forget that even in the previous edition, defined by many as the best ever, the Chinese team had encountered severe problems in securing adequate funding, so it's safe to assume this time it will even be harder.

As one can easily observe from the photos, the Chinese team have all their three ACC yachts, two masts, two speed boats and around a dozen containers with all their physical assets.

China Team's assets are stored in a supermarket parking lot. Valencia, 27 November 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

China Team's assets are stored in a supermarket parking lot. Valencia, 27 November 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing