So far, the America’s Cup has given outsiders the impression of a commercial flop, with a distinct lack of racing and reports of robbers and muggings in dusty Valencia. Journalists have been unimpressed, and the TV filming schedules in disarray during Round Robin One, with reporters desperately trying to fill the empty slots created by windless postponements and cancelled races.

This doesn’t seem to have stopped the punters, however. This week, most likely on Thursday 3 May, visitor number one million for the 2007 season will pass through the turnstiles at Port America’s Cup. The counting for this season began on April 1, the unveiling day for the fleet.

Yesterday, Tuesday May 1, was another record day at the venue, as over 68 000 people came to experience the passion of the America’s Cup. That brings the total since April 1 to just over 980 000. The average number of visitors per day since April 1 is just over 30 000, which is up by nearly 50% on the 2006 Louis Vuitton Acts.

In total, over 3.3 million visitors have passed the gates during the Louis Vuitton Acts dating back to Act 1 in Marseille in September 2004.

Not bad for a regatta with not much racing…