At Least Get Some Use Out of It
Has there ever been as delayed a sporting event as the 33rd America’s Cup? We don’t think so.
First there was all the legal wrangling and the excruciating number of court battles.
Then racing was called off on Day One for lack of wind.
Yesterday was a mandatory lay day — even though the boats hadn’t raced.
Today, a 4 to 6-ft swell kept the boats at their compounds despite the presence of 16 knots of wind.
Tomorrow will be another mandatory lay day.
But based on this photo, at least some people are getting a little use out of the zillion dollar BMW Oracle trimaran USA. The couple are Caribbean legend D. Randy West and Joanne, his love interest. How could the two get past the heavy security and onto the boat? We suspect our old friend just walked right up to security with a big smile on his face and said, "It’s me, D. Randy!" That usually gets him through.
Meanwhile, Ron Young, our man on the ground in Valencia, is feeling frustrated with the lack of racing:
"The cancellation of the first two races of AC33 is embarrassing for the Cup. Since AC33 is a Deed of Gift match, organizers shouldn’t bend to the pressure of anyone — including team owners worried about breaking their boats — while conducting the competition.
"America and subsequent challengers sailed across the Atlantic to race for the Cup. All elements of the America’s Cup, including its image, media attention, world-wide audiences and local organizers would be better off if race days were actually race days — rain or shine, light winds or heavy, shifty or steady, short of a full gale."
The main thing is that this thing gets going soon. Race one has been rescheduled for Friday, so cross your fingers and hope for the best. You can find the latest updates through Ron’s tweets at: www.twitter.com/Lat38AC33.
“Is There a Football Game Today?”
"We thought you’d like to know that the Super Bowl wasn’t the only thing happening on Sunday," write Pat and Carole McIntosh of the Alameda-based trawler Peregrine. "Ten Baja Ha-Ha and/or Delta Doo Dah vets crossed tacks up in Roseville, outside of Sacramento, for an evening of storytelling and laughter. Here’s the breakdown of who was there:
- Phil & Nora McCaleb of the Hunter 42 Shiraz (Ha-Ha ’05 & Doo Dah ’09)
- Paul & Marilyn Butler with their Tayana 48 Renegade (Ha-Ha ’06 & Doo Dah ’09)
- Randy & Nancy Rowland Pacific Seacraft 27 Aphrodite (Ha-Ha ’04 & ’06)
- Chris & Robyn Parker Island Packet 35 Robyn’s Nest (Ha-Ha ’06)
- Pat & Carole McIntosh Hunter 430 Espiritu (Ha-Ha ’06, ’08 & Doo Dah ’09)
"The only ones with a boat still in Mexico are the Rowlands, who ‘commuter cruise’ out of La Paz. The year after they sailed to Mexico the Parkers loaded Robyn’s Nest onto Dockwise, and they have been sailing the Pacific Northwest since — last year they made it to Alaska and back. The boat is now in Vancouver, B.C. The McCalebs made it to Panama before returning north at the end of the ’08 sailing season, and are again sailing out of Marina Village in Alameda. They, along with the Butlers, became charter members of the ‘Cedros Island Yacht Club’ when they and several other sailboats were ‘marooned’ there waiting for a break in the weather on the way up the coast in June ’08. The Butlers sail out of Vallejo now, but have been doing a lot of ‘land cruising’ recently. We brought Espiritu north after two seasons in Mexico. Right after we got back, we did the ’08 Ha-Ha as crewon the 42-ft cat Sun Baby. We now have a trawler in Alameda, but don’t have time to use it much due to an influx of grand kids who are scattered from Placerville to Portland.
"Here’s hoping we see a lot more friends at the Latitude 38 Baja Ha-Ha (and Delta Doo Dah) Reunion Party on April 16 at Strictly Sail Pacific!"
Pacific Cup Seminar at EYC
Encinal YC is hosting a free Pacific Cup presentation tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. "Paul Kamen, Liz Baylis and Todd Hedin, who have each sailed to Hawaii multiple times on different boats, will discuss the Pacific Cup race experience," said EYC President Mike Scheck. "What makes the race from San Francisco to Oahu a lifetime sailing experience, what owners have to do to their boat to get the boat qualified and ready to go on the race, what types of sailors do the race, and why so many sailors do the race over and over again." Call (510) 522-3272 for more info.