Earlier this year, the journey started in Seattle and ended in San Francisco. This time around, San Francisco was our point of departure. To be more precise: the welcoming surroundings of the St. Francis Yacht Club (www.stfyc.com).
I tried my hardest to ignore the view of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge while delivering my talk during the Club’s Wednesday Yachting Luncheon; a tradition going strong for some 53 years, at present in the capable hands of Ron Young (who, apart from being an excellent host, has been part of five America’s Cup teams, amongst many other things).
You can see if I was successful in turning my back on THAT view by checking out the recording made of my talk:
https://vimeo.com/367276811
Following some enjoyable after-lunch talks with club members, our journey continued south along the Californian coast (who needs an excuse, hey?).
Tanned and salty, we arrived at Long Beach Yacht Club (www.lbyc.org) for another presentation; reaching its Clubhouse was like entering a true haven following Los Angeles’ traffic!
After a lovely dinner and sharing my research on the events of 1851, we ended up in the bar talking about the latest developments in the America’s Cup – after all, Long Beach is one of the challengers for the 36th AC.
Having visited LA and Hollywood along the way, the ‘star of the show’ turned out to be in San Diego: The America, a wonderful replica of the yacht I had imagined for so many years during my time researching and writing: there she was! And, thanks to owner Troy Sears (www.nextlevelsailing.com), we set foot on her...happy times!
Thank you, Troy (and for your patience in listening to me rambling on about your beautiful yacht and the events surrounding her in 1851; I know you’ve heard it all before).
@americascup