Promoting the Book and Viewing the America’s Cup
Closed Published by Dr. Beyster June 28th, 2007 in The Book.My wife Betty and daughter Mary Ann joined me on June 13 for a long overdue combination vacation and book (The SAIC Solution) promotional trip. We first visited Washington DC and attended two events:
- an early evening meeting at SAIC of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and
- a book signing at Borders bookstore in McLean.
From there we proceeded to Valencia, Spain, to view the America’s Cup, flying first to New York, then to Zurich, Switzerland, and finally to Barcelona. We spent four days in Barcelona and boarded the Silver Whisper, a one class vessel holding around 300 passengers.
As of yesterday, Wednesday, June 27, we had attended 4 races, 2 won by Alinghi, the Swiss boat, and 2 by the Kiwi boat. We plan to spend today sightseeing in Valencia. On Friday, we will attend the fifth race of the America’s Cup. To succeed, either the challenger or the defender must win 5 races. The event will end then or after the ninth race. We leave for New York on Sunday, July 1.
There have been many high points on this trip so far. For me, I enjoyed meeting Gary Jobson, a very experienced competitive sailor, having sailed since he was a teenager. He has been a commentator on ESPN on sailing events and on his extensive travels. He has written 15 books and made hundreds of travel and sailing videos capturing his trips. He joined the boat to educate the passengers on the history of the America’s Cup and the fine points of the competition. Since he has himself been a tactician on many America’s Cup events and is very familiar with the ever-changing rules and politics, he is providing educational and entertaining insight on the events.
The two boats seem somewhat different in that the Swiss boat seems faster in light winds and points higher. In this race, tactics and performance of the crew are very important. There have been many examples of crew errors caused by emotions. Although we have been hoping New Zealand will win, only time will tell. Stay tuned.
Gary Jobson presenting on board the Silver Whisper
Bob and Betty at the America’s Cup Village
