The America's Cup World Series in Newport, Rhode Island may be easiest compared to Grand Prix de Monaco. Except in the water. We spent yesterday watching the event.
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| Our host and captain was again our great friend and best man. |
We went over first to see the pre-race activity at Fort Adams, which was set up for the on-land spectators.
We talked about the history of the event. One of the guests had been an editor of
Sail Magazine for years and has a wealth of knowledge which he generously shared.
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| The Lawson History of the America's Cup: A Record of Fifty Years - Amazon Link |
We went briefly ashore at Fort Adams. And we quickly realized how very lucky we were to be watching from the water.
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| A Visual History of America's Cup |
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| The names of the wifi networks said much about the venue. |
It was starting to get crowded, so we went exploring before the racing started.
We headed out towards Mackerel Cove and the incomparable Horsehead (Marbella).
Another guest shared his culinary skills and we enjoyed his delicious crab and avocado salad.
As 2:00 came closer, we headed back to the activity. More boats were arriving.
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| Clingstone was a busy place. |
The time before the start gave us a perfect chance to see some of the people and outfits in the other boats.
The Coast Guard presence was impressive. For me, the most interesting part of the day was watching how they, along with the Environmental Police, controlled the water crowds with great authority and skill.
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| The constant din of helicopters hovering right above our heads combined with the sirens, whistles and megaphones of the Coast Guard gave one a bit of the sensation of being in Los Angeles. |
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| When you see and hear this right behind you, you move. |
The crowds were getting thicker, on land and on sea.
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| At times it seemed to capture the je ne sais quoi of a post-Apocalypse ragtag flotilla. It was amazing that we didn't see any boats hit, although we watched all on board rush to one side to push another boat away more than once. |
When in doubt, chase the chase boats.
Finally, the action began.
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| Oracle's boat went off course and into the crowds. |
At 4:00, most headed back to Newport Harbor.
We briefly went ashore in search of
Gifford's (of Maine) ice cream.
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| We made a quick stop at The Museum of Yachting where we were able to pull off of their library shelves some works of our fellow passenger... |
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| ...and I bought a new hat. |
I had seen many beautiful boats today but at the end of the day, Tigris was still my favorite.
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| A dead body? No, it was just our captain, swimming in the refreshing 62 degree water. |
And, back at the boatyard, the final great vehicle of the day was a Volvo 240 sedan, one of my favorite cars.
