Close Encounters of the AC Kind

You just never know what kind of experience you’re going to have when you’re out sailing on San Francisco Bay. Val and Greg Gillen enjoyed a very memorable one aboard their Cal 39 Grimsby on Friday, when they were buzzed by a couple of cats. "We were sailing with our friends Jack and Maria Caffey on a gloriously warm day with 10-12 knots of breeze," they said. "As we sailed between Alcatraz and Angel Island, we noticed the AC 45s being towed, and we got some great pictures when they started sailing. Then, as we were reaching across the Bay toward the Cityfront, they came up behind us on the same point of sail. They blasted by close on either side of us but I was too excited to take any pictures! We could hear the whine and hum of their rigs, and Greg and one of the helmsmen exchanged salutes. We added that to our stash of golden moments of sailing!"

The Gillens aren’t the only ones to have had close encounters with AC 45s this month as Oracle Racing has been conducting a testing program in advance of the next America’s Cup World Series Event in San Diego on November 12-20. There’s no word yet on the team’s winter plans following that, but it would be great to see them come out for the Three Bridge Fiasco. Granted, if it not for the generous BAMA ratings, they might have to start the following day, but it would still be pretty cool!