Electric smiles: Napa Valley VIP Reception at Club 45

Amelia Hardy with Russell Coutts. Photo credit: Greg Rodeno

Electric.  That's what it was like tonight at the Napa Valley reception at Club 45.  From beginning to end, the place was buzzing with excitement. The atmosphere in Newport last June was wonderful, but it was nothing like this.  

Attendance was impressive, as were those attending.  I met Russell Coutts, who has a perfect win/loss record in 20 match races over the course of four victorious America's Cup campaigns, and I spoke to Bob Fisher, who has written more (and knows more) about the America's Cup than anyone else alive (or not). Everywhere I looked I saw the faces of sailors who have distinguished themselves in San Francisco Bay racing for decades.

The guests crowded round the tasting counters, talking at length with the pouring vintners, clearly enjoying the opportunity to learn more about the Napa Valley and its wines.

Electric smiles.

Lester Hardy

Lawyer by day, author by night, Lester is the husband of Janet Pagano, Managing Partner at Ovid Vineyards.  An avid sailor, Lester crews for vintner Eric Sklar on Spindrifter at the Sausalito Yacht Club's Tuesday night races, and is currently working on a biography of San Francisco sailig legend Tom Blackaller, who competed in three America's Cup events. You can reach Lester at ltrainhardy@yahoo.com, or visit his blog at blackallersbuoy.com.

Napa Valley Vintners & America's Cup: The thrill of a lifetime

Saturday June 30

When Eric Sklar, Will Smith and I arrived at the America’s Cup Village Saturday morning, we were looking forward to another enjoyable afternoon watching the America’s Cup World Series from Club 45, just a few feet from the shore.  Eric was still pumped with excitement from his ride as a guest racer with Emirates Team New Zealand on Friday – if you want to know how exciting these 45-foot catamarans are, ask Eric or Clay Gregory to tell you about their guest racer rides – but we all expected a more laid-back Saturday.

We were wrong.  I was just sitting down to enjoy an iced tea and the view of Narragansett Bay, when Eric walked up to announce we had been invited to spend the afternoon out on the race course.  No one ever said yes faster than Will and I.  We all promptly gathered our belongings and headed to the dock to meet our boat.

I should explain that in order to make the most out of the relatively small areas within which the races are run, and to aid in the effort to keep as much of the action as close to shore as possible, the America’s Cup World Series uses boats – referred to as “mark boats” – to set the turning marks for the race.  This enables the race directors to move the marks as needed to adjust to changes in wind speed and direction over the course of an afternoon, and to have a finish line that is different from the starting line.  Our seats for the afternoon were on the twin-hulled power boat America, which would set up at one end of the starting line for the speed trials, and at the leeward (downwind) mark for both the fleet races.

Which means that when those 45-foot catamarans came sailing by, we were close enough to hear the singing of the wind over the sails, the voices of the crew as commands and responses were called out, the grunts of exertion as they trimmed the sails – well, to be more precise, the boats sometimes passed within just a couple of feet of America.  Watching a sailboat race simply doesn’t get more exciting than that.  It was the thrill of a lifetime.

Once again, the racing was fantastic.  Jimmy Spithill, skipper of the number one boat for Team Oracle USA, won the time trial with an average speed of 24.77 knots, which works out to 28.5 miles per hour.  I checked the true wind speed on America’s instrument panel, and I’m pretty sure it was no more than 15 knots, if that.  In other words, Spithill was sailing at least 1.65 times faster than the wind. There are limits to how fast these catamarans can go, but I’m pretty sure that when they come to San Francisco in August we’ll see boat speeds at 30 knots or better – on San Francisco Bay in the summertime, 15 knots of wind is a pretty light day.

So, if you haven’t already made your plans to be there in San Francisco in August and October, don’t delay.

Cheers!

Lester

Lester Hardy, lawyer by day, author by night, is the husband of Janet Pagano, Managing Partner at Ovid Vineyards.  An avid sailor, Lester crews for vintner Eric Sklar on Spindrifter at the Sausalito Yacht Club's Tuesday night races, and is currently working on a biography of Tom Blackaller, a San Francisco sailing legend who competed in three America's Cup events. You can reach Lester at ltrainhardy@yahoo.com

Napa Valley Vintners & America's Cup: The excitement begins!

Friday Morning, June 29

Yesterday the racing began. I had read about the NASCAR-like excitement of the America's Cup World Series, but now I've experienced it.  Wow!

The Emirates New Zealand team capsized in their match race against Luna Rossa Piranha, only to have their gleaming high-tech catamaran turn onto its rudders in a failed attempt to right it. By the time the boat was back on its hulls an hour later, the carbon fiber wingsail was severely damaged, and official reports were that the crew would be working all night to make the repairs necessary to get Emirates New Zealand back in the water in time for today's races.

Destination Napa Valley Council President Clay Gregory experienced the excitement first hand during the fleet race, as guest racer on Team Korea's catamaran. Clay told me afterwards that he got an aerobic workout while sitting still. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure he was referring to the fact that his heart was racing the entire time. One thing for sure, he looked like a guy who had never had such fun in his life.

And this, for me, was the greatest part of the day: the excitement of the day's races was shared by everyone from the Napa Valley Vintners and Destination Napa Valley who came out to Newport, regardless of whether they were sailors or non-sailors. The organizers of the 34th America's Cup competition have long said that their goal was to create an event that was accessible to everyone - to create a spectator-friendly arena on the water - and if the event here at Newport is anything to judge by, they have succeeded in a big way.

Just ask Linda Reiff, Eric Sklar, Clay Gregory, Will Smith, Allison Simpson, George Peterson or Darcy Tunt.

Or me, for that matter.

Cheers!

Lester Hardy 

Lester Hardy, lawyer by day, author by night, is the husband of Janet Pagano, Managing Partner at Ovid Vineyards.  An avid sailor, Lester crews for vintner Eric Sklar on Spindrifter at the Sausalito Yacht Club's Tuesday night races, and is currently working on a biography of Tom Blackaller, a San Francisco sailing legend who competed in three America's Cup events. You can reach Lester at ltrainhardy@yahoo.com

Napa Valley Vintners & America's Cup: The excitement is building here in Newport…

The America’s Cup race park opened this past Saturday to curious spectators looking to see what all of this “new racing” was about.  Sitting in our Napa Valley Wine Lounge, you could hear the excited buzz. “The boats are racing so close!” “Look at how they turn on a dime!” “These wines are great!”  I have to admit, this was my first chance to see the boats up close, too, and watch how they perform on the water - I am getting excited to see the races myself. 

The whole experience draws you in.  As you file past the team bases, technicians are assembling the massive but beautiful catamarans. After the pontoons are fixed together, then the mast is secured, and a crane lifts the boat into the air overhead and gently puts it into the water to wait for the crew.  

Time to get to the Napa Valley Wine Lounge, to get a great viewing spot!  From our lounge, glass of Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc in hand, I start to see one, then two, followed by the other three boats practicing today making their way to the course, gaining speed…gaining tremendous speed.  I can honestly say that I have never seen anything without a motor move that fast.  Because it is not an official race day, the course is not closed to other boating traffic, and as much slower boats are swerving out of the path of these boats that they came to see, I am pretty sure they are thinking the exact same thing that I am.  The boats practiced for a few hours, their colorful sails zipping back and forth across the bay before once again being lifted out of the water to be disassembled and cleaned for the next day.

I’m officially hooked! It didn’t take long watching the boats on the water this weekend to say that.  Unfortunately, I’ll be back in the Napa Valley for the official race days, starting this Thursday, but I can guarantee that you will see me on Sunday at one of our local viewing parties, glass of Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc in hand, cheering on the boats.

Suzanne Gay

Napa Valley Vintners

Napa Valley Vintners & America's Cup: Newport is a revelation

Thursday Morning, June 28

My first visit to Newport is a revelation.  I have never seen a harbor packed with so many beautiful boats, from super yachts to 12-metre race boats, and every sort of sloop, schooner, ketch and yawl, modern and classic, large and small, wood and plastic - Newport has them all.

And the setting is no less impressive.  Storied mansions line the waterfront, telling tales of the glory days of yachting - long before corporate sponsors and helicopters - of tycoons and times gone by.

Downtown Newport speaks of east coast summers, with ice cream shops, t-shirt stores, pizza places, beer joints, and everything else that caters to youth on vacation and to sailors on shore.  But there, too, one has a sense of the past - that this summertime enterprise has some history behind it.

The America's Cup Village is located at Fort Adams, an old naval defense installation that once protected the harbor at Newport.  The naval artillery is long gone, but the fort's location on the waterfront couldn't be better for the kind of spectator-friendly action that the current America's Cup organizers aim for.  In every direction the view is fantastic, and entire race course is visible from the public viewing area.

Last night the Napa Valley Vintners and Destination Napa Valley sponsored a wonderful wine reception for VIPs at the Club 45 VIP lounge at Fort Adams. The Club filled with sailors and sailing dignitaries, Linda Reiff and Clay Gregory gave an outstanding presentation on the Napa Valley to the guests, and wonderful wines from more than a dozen Napa Valley wineries were poured to an enthusiastic group.  As the tasting wound down, the sun slowly set, and we were treated to a magnificent example of the beauty of the Newport skies.

Newport is a revelation.

Cheers!

Lester

Lester Hardy, lawyer by day, author by night, is the husband of Janet Pagano, Managing Partner at Ovid Vineyards.  An avid sailor, Lester crews for vintner Eric Sklar on Spindrifter at the Sausalito Yacht Club's Tuesday night races, and is currently working on a biography of Tom Blackaller, a San Francisco sailing legend who competed in three America's Cup events. You can reach Lester at ltrainhardy@yahoo.com

The Napa Valley Designated Official Wine Region of the 34th America's Cup

Legendary Napa Valley Wines and Tourism to be Exclusively Featured at 34th America's Cup Events in United States

The Napa Valley has been named the official wine region of the 34th America's Cup. In partnership with The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) and The Napa Valley Destination Council (NVDC), America's Cup events in the United States through 2013 will exclusively feature Napa Valley wines, while the Napa Valley will be the only wine region featured as a getaway destination for attendees of the San Francisco-based America's Cup events.

"The America's Cup is a fantastic way to showcase the wines of Napa Valley. This high-profile, world-renowned sporting event's stature perfectly aligns with the high quality and world renown of Napa Valley, America's premier wine region. We are delighted to bring our wines to the table in celebration of this great partnership," said Napa Valley Vintners Executive Director Linda Reiff.

"Many of the America's Cup enthusiasts love the same things that the Napa Valley is known for--great wine, food, arts and wellness activities. We are very excited to have the opportunity to invite them to experience our beautiful region while they are in the Bay Area, and we look forward to sharing the best we have to offer," said Clay Gregory, NVDC CEO and President.

The Napa Valley is home to the founders of America's fine wine industry--legendary entrepreneurs who showed the world that the art of winemaking had crossed continents--and the region is prized for its natural beauty, 14-Michelin Star culinary scene, world-class hotel accommodations, robust arts community, and one-of-a-kind wellness experiences including the region's famed spas, mud baths and healing geo-thermal hot springs.

Over the next two years, Napa Valley wines will be poured and tourism to the region will be promoted, beginning with the America's Cup World Series event in San Diego this November 12-20, as well as at the AC World Series Newport and San Francisco events in 2012, and in San Francisco during the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup--the America's Cup Challenger Series--and America's Cup Finals.

"We are very pleased to partner with the Napa Valley on our America's Cup events in the United States, as it is one of the world's premier wine growing regions," said Craig Thompson, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority. "The 34th America's Cup is focused on creating a one-of-a-kind experience for every fan, so we look forward to showcasing the bounty that the Napa Valley has to offer to our guests."

Click here for the press announcement on the America's Cup Website.

Watch a video on the America's Cup Preview in San Diego, currently underway through November 20th.