Ahoy! How was your weekend? Did you escape the fog? I embraced it fully on Sunday morning, when I was invited by SKYY Vodka and Campari America to board their spectator boat and cheer on Emirates Team New Zealand at the Louis Vuitton Cup races on the bay. When I visited New Zealand back in March, I got to visit the ETNZ base and got to see the massive AC72 catamaran (and actually sit on it for a picture), but seeing them sail up close is another thing entirely. Very infrequently am I spotted tablehopping on boats (although I do like captain’s hats and sailors), but I am definitely getting into watching these races (even the live coverage on YouTube is pretty cool). Since we were on the water, we had the added bonus of witnessing both the hulking ETNZ boat and Prada’s Luna Rossa come verrrry close to our boat, superexciting.
After being fed lunch and a ton of snacks all day, we got to hang out on the New Zealand base in their Waka Māori pavilion (shaped like a waka, a Māori canoe) and enjoy some cocktails (courtesy of Rye on the Road) while watching the boats get cleaned and dismantled in front of us. What an operation. Oh yeah, and some strapping team members came by to say hello; does it get any better? Epic day for sure. I know there’s a lot of controversy surrounding our city hosting the America’s Cup—and it’s not quite the slam-bang event it was intended to be—but watching those wicked-fast catamarans zip across the water is undeniably cool. (And congratulations to team Artemis for getting back on the water this week.)
More zipping: I am going to be heading up to Lake Tahoe this Thursday to spend some time with my fam this weekend at our cabin in Tahoma (been going there since I was a baby, it’s one of my favorite places in the world). And hey, I gotta do what I can to preserve this Rio tan, it’s a rare bird. But I’ll still have another ‘hopper installment for you this Friday, because my office is all virtual like that. Poof.
Today’s newsletter has some sneak peeks for you, and plenty to keep you busy (and fed, and tipsy).
Dig in! Marcia Gagliardi
Um, yeah, that is close! We even got a wave (from the crew, that is)! Photo: © tablehopper.com.View tablehopper Newsletter from Tuesday, Jul 23 2013
