#ac 36

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

Good news! The Story of the America’s Cup got an update covering 2021, the last edition having been the 2013 one I own. (Although really it will never be completely up-to-date for very long, just like any book about the Olympics.) I would have bought it in Newport but it’s oversized and I didn’t have enough room in my bag.

The new paintings are just as nice as all the earlier ones:

Unfortunately, the new profile sketches are still as creepy as in every edition since the book was first published in 1987:

(I’m not just being unfair to Spithill and Burling here, at Acadia I found a 1987 edition and the Bertrand and Turner pics were just as… off.)

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

Raceboat lounging during low-wind days in Auckland, 2000 and 2021.

(I found the top pic while looking for 2000 uniform references and immediately it reminded me of this day in the 2021 competition!)

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

Andrew Campbell co-hosts US Sailing's American Sailor podcast

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

The Luna Rossa Story

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

Peter Burling’s ETNZ retrospective video from Instagram.

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

[a-solitary-sea-rover-backup]

There was a moment, not long ago, when in a world in the grip of crisis, so many of us gathered to watch the Prada Cup streams. All across the world, we were alone physically but together virtually, glimpsing a happy vision of the one safe place that wasn’t in lockdown, a beautiful dream to aspire to.

And of course, it wasn’t that simple, and it turned out it couldn’t last. As wonderful as the event was, it was barely over before months and years of messy politics and business would prevent it from being repeated, at least in the near future. And our live-streamed South Seas Paradise turned out to have problems of its own, because people are people the world over.

But for a few months, there was a moment. And it was beautiful. And I’m so glad I was able to share it with all of you.

[jimstares]

The team has been so bad even the boat wants out (photo credit).

It’s easy to joke because we know that the team and the boat are safe. What’s not a joke is this - There needs to be a change on the command desk. The capsize was a freak, in these type boats it’s happens, but the mistakes in the previous 3 races, and even this race (horrible starts in all 4, some “interesting” calls, course management, etc) require a change.