At the Prada base (Base 1), a third “tent-like” building adjacent to the existing two had been added, extending further along the wharf towards the sea entrance to the Basin. Now, advance administrative and/or shore crew may have arrived for the Italian flag had been raised and was flying at half mast. The Prada tender boat had been taken out of the shed and was sitting on the forecourt; two chase boats were in the water at the front of the base. The completely stripped down hulls of two of the Prada boats are now sitting on the base forecourt completely swathed in white protective wrapping material. According to the Prada website all four Prada boats, the two Luna Rossas and the two Young America boats, will be shipped to Auckland. The sailing team is expected to arrive mid October to commence training.

According Oracle Racing, exceptional progress is being made at the base 2. The entire construction project is nearly completed on the new boat shed (alongside the first and is of similar dimensions), rigging shed and sail drying area. All that remains to be done is the custom buildout of benches, electrical wiring, and other improvements that will be handled by the 'Tool Time Tim's' of Oracle Racing. The offices on the floating hospitality center (the apex of the former American Express yacht club moored at the front of the base) are completed, and Oracle Racing now boasts the best view of any team in the Viaduct Basin. By the end of next week, all the extension work for the sailing base should be completed leaving 155-161 Halsey Street ready and waiting for the team's return at the end of October.

The former Swiss base (Base 3), which is now occupied by Mascalzone Latino remains empty.

Further along syndicate row, OneWorld Challenge (Base 4) is currently extending the length of one of its boat sheds by about two-thirds. The shed is adjacent to the double shed in which USA 55 and USA 51 are stored. At this stage, it appears that the shed will no longer serve as an IACC boat shed for the “roof to ground” gap at the front for doors is absent. Construction materials litter the forecourt. Last Week, one of two boats (possibly USA 55, the former Stars and Stripes) was taken out of storage and set up with an X style rig. No sign of USA 51 as yet.

The exterior of the Alinghi “dream box” (Base 5), which include two tall IACC boat sheds, appears to be substantially complete although finishing details and the interior remain to be completed. It extend the entire width of the double site (the former Nippon and Le Defi bases) from hard on the boundary with TNZ to the OWC base at the other end, The exterior top half of the building is covered with a pink translucent cladding which changes in tones of pink according to the light. The official opening is scheduled for December.

A priori, the Team New Zealand base (Base 6) should stay such as during the previous edition. Part of the ground floor of the TNZ base (facing Halsey Street) has been converted into the “TNZ Shop” with the usual array of glassware and other mementos. Last Week, TNZ’s new massive rubber duckie, capable of towing both IAAC boats out to the Gulf, was in the water at the front of the base. NZL 57 hit the water towards the end of last week. Both black boats now have X rigs. Over the previous summer testing period NZL 57 was always conventionally rigged.

Construction of the GBR-Challenge buildings (Base 7) is now complete. The buildings comprise a single IACC boat shed with a very large GBR signage (about the same dimensions as the old America True shed) and a separate adjacent one storey sail loft. The bulb of one of the Nippon boats was sitting on the forecourt with the completely stripped down hull in the boat shed. Two Etchells (?), presumably for match racing practice, were parked alongside. Some team members have arrived and they expect to be sailing by early October.

Adjacent to the GBR base, the exterior of the Swedish Victory Challenge building (Base 8) is now complete and are currently painted black with the sides a light grey. It comprises a tall IACC boat shed with the roof sloping down on one side to incorporate an administrative area and sail loft. The Swedish base has recently been adorned with sponsors’ signage and a Swedish flag is painted on the IACC boat shed door. Victory Challenge will move from the current base in France to New Zealand in October. The new boat, which is in production in Gothenburg, will be flown to Auckland around the same time, giving Victory two boats to train with.

Construction has commenced on the illbruck Challenge base (Base 9), positioned between the Stars and Stripes and Victory bases. The old America True boat shed is being extended with a lean-to structure similar to the Victory base extensions, but not so large. The illbruck syndicate flag is flying from a standard.

Bases 10 (Stars & Stripes) are currently being utilised by ACVL for hardstand and haulout for local and visiting boat owners.

The Volvo Ocean Race Organisers will utilise bases 9 (former 10) and 10 (former 11) for the haul out and maintenance of the competing race syndicates for the majority of the month of January. The racing fleet are expected to be in Auckland on January 3, 2002 and depart 27 January 2002 bound for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The western end of the island is to start development of marina facilities for three berths. A base for Le Défi Français ?

If you have got some spare cash, the "America’s Cup Shop," in the Viaduct Basin adjoining the Maritime Museum, has operated continuously from 2000 AC, selling AC 2003 and AC 2000 stuff plus Line 7 apparel.

Seattle Challenge, headed up by Belden seems to be the only other challenge that has yet to commit to a base in Auckland.

Doug Snell, general manager of America's Cup Village Ltd, said the French (Le Défi Français) had been offered the last available base, but had turned it down because it was too small for their two-boat cup campaign.

The last spot was snapped up by new Italian syndicate Mascalzone Latino, which are likely to have just one boat. A Union Jack is set to fly over base eight, even though two British groups appear to be bickering over who will represent their nation in the next cup.

Le Défi Français have been left to look out of town for a home for their America's Cup boats after missing out on a berth in the cup village. Le Defi's old base next to Team New Zealand has been incorporated with the old Nippon site to make an extra-large compound for Ernesto Bertarelli's Swiss syndicate.

Young Australia used a floating crane as their base last summer, but residents in the new waterfront apartments would probably likely object if they had a barge parked outside their windows.

With Viaduct Harbour full, any other late challenge will have to look outside the harbour for a base. The Naval Dockyard is one possibility, as is the Western Viaduct area - however substantial work would be required at the cost of the Challenger. The other option is Gulf Harbour to the North of the Cup course on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

The construction of new Cup bases is well underway, however much of the old signage remains - even though the tenants have changed. Construction of the apartments around the harbour is complete and certainly the area has a much more pleasant feel to it than existed during the Cup, when much of the apartment construction was only half complete.

Meanwhile, the America's Cup syndicate Oracle Racing is negotiating to buy the derelict barge in the Basin which was set up by ACVL as a yacht club and lost $4.1 million of public money. ACVL, which has withdrawn an application to run the barge as a restaurant and function centre, will divvy up the sale proceeds with Corporate Host. The company had the catering contract and contributed about $800,000 of the $3 million spent turning the barge into a club for American Express cardholders. Sources said Oracle would pay little more than the salvage value of about $500,000 for the barge and turn it into a sail loft. ACVL chairman Peter Kiely has said the future of the barge would probably be known this month.

Actually, Five Cup yachts, some of them sporting new attire, will be on parade on the Hauraki Gulf on Tuesday – among them Team New Zealand's black boats, out of the shed for the first time since winning the cup in March. Try not to confuse them with the black boats of OneWorld, the wealthy Seattle syndicate which have been sailing on the cup course for the past week. Their charcoal training boats used to be midnight blue (Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes) and garish yellow (America True). Then there is the pristine white of Oracle Racing, down to one model after the other's unfortunate accident three weeks ago.

• Base 1 is still occupied by Prada ;
• Base 2 (ex-AmericaOne) has been transferred, along with the other assets of AmericaOne to Oracle Racing ;
• Base 3 (ex-Fast) is still occupied by a swiss team but this is WatchOut Challenge ;
• Base 4 (ex-Young America ) has been leased by the first of the two Seattle based challengers, McCaw’s One World ;
• Base 5 & 6 (ex Japanese and French bases) have been gobbled up by Ernesto Berterelli’s Swiss Challenge ;
• Base 7 is still in the hands of team New Zealand ;
• Base 8 (which was the Spanish Base) is the only currently available but "an anonymous European syndicate (France ?) have committed itself to the last available base" (NZH) ;
• Base 9 (ex-Abracadabra) has been leased by the Swedish Challenge ;
• Base 10 (ex-America True) has been leased by a German group ;
• Base 11 is still the operating base for Team Dennis Conner who is challenging on behalf of the NYYC