Team Base Revelry

Last evening at the BMW ORACLE Racing base, Leslie and Meg standing by as we feted our old AC friend, Bob "The Fish" Fisher (GBR, journalist/ historian), on the occasion of his 72nd birthday. Full story on the team blog.

Parting Shots

We enjoyed very much having Rachel here with us these past few days. I put her on the plane this morning bound for Frankfurt (GER) via Madrid. She will train to Karlsruhe and stay with "Aunt Cristine" for a few days, then on Friday head to Bitburg to visit a friend of hers stationed at the US Air Force base there.

On Sunday Rachel flies home to Michigan, having completed a whirlwind European trip -- her first. A few of the many shots Rachel took over the past couple days that she asked be posted here....

Yesterday, Rachel and Leslie strolled on the Puzol town beach, near our home. The beaut early summer weather we enjoyed over the weekend continues this week with temps in the 70s.

The view from the Puzol beach erosion-prevention pier that also doubles as a fishing pier. The homes up on the hill, more or less behind the foot of the pier, is our neighborhood.

Valencia's bull ring.

Sunday evening, "Uncle Tom" at home in the family cabin. Am just leaving to drive the 20 mins or so into Valencia to give another talk at the team base for a group from BMW.

For Grandma Jan and Sister Ruth

Saturday evening "deener" at Casa Ehman. Nice Argentine beef marinated by Leslie and grilled to near perfektion on the barbecue.



Meg and Rachel in front of USA-61, the 2000-era Cup boat now used as a "show boat", outside of the BMW ORACLE Team Base in the Port America's Cup in Valencia on Sunday.



To think that TFE Sr and Jan are only 20 years older than Jr, yet Jr is 40 years older than Meg. Yikes, Meg, you got old-fart parents! Photo by Rachel.

Mystery Music Man

Speaking of making music, this snap was taken in a bar here in VLC just before Christmas. Four of us had been asked to sit in for one set with the mystery man in the middle -- a semi-celebrity on his way up whose reputation we did not want to tarnish by blogging him playing with amateurs! Visible, from left: Carmen Hidalgo (ESP), Beatriz Pastor (ESP), TFE and BMW ORACLE Racing colleague Jane Eagleson (USA).

Musical Skills

Here's a test that for sure Grandma Jan, Lynn Hill (Grandpa Tom's partner), sister Ruth and Meg will enjoy, and others of you who are musically inclined -- or think that you might be:

http://jakemandell.com/2006/test-your-musical-skills-in-6-minutes/



Grandma Jan grooving to Diana Krall on my Palm, in a January '05 photo. She plays the guitar, too, and wrote lots of skits and songs for yacht club and school functions when we were growing up. A good influence on the rest of -- a musical diamond in the rough.



Lynn Hill is a superb piano player who, when not lawyering. plays professionally. Last we knew she was the choirmaster at the Webster United Church of Christ. Tom Sr. reminds us that Lynn is a good organ player as well. Summer 2004 photo from an apres-race jam session at Portage YC.



Speaking of roses on a piano, Meg is an accomplished if sometimes unwilling piano player, shown here at a party at our home in Valencia last Thanksgiving in a duet. These days she would rather play the guitar, and does so skillfully.



Sister Ruth, when not playing with her snakes or keeping things on track in the office at Portage YC, sings in the choir at Webster Church -- and just about any other time someone picks up a guitar. This is a summer 2004 photo at Ruth's farm in Michigan.



They keep a guitar for us at the Lambrusceria Ristorante (a.k.a. "The Docks") here in Valencia for the occasional after-dinner jam session. This phone-cam photo is from a dinner there last week in which our new friend "Tony" -- a very talented street musician from Bulgaria -- joined in on his sax.

Newport to Ensenada Race

This annual race down the coast of SoCal from Newport Beach to Ensenada, Mexico is one of if not the largest races in the world each year. The 57th edition, with 460 boats competing, took place last weekend.

Reminded me of sailing the race as a guest of the organizers, Newport Ocean Sailing Assn (NOSA), yikes, 15 years ago while we were living in San Diego.

Here is a picture courtesy of our good friend Peter Huston (Buffalo, NY) that he recently dug up from god only knows where. Peter is in the then-cool white sunglasses. The gentleman aft of him is the late Ray Wallace, whom Peter says was a legendary navigator on the west coast.

The boat was the modified Swan 57 Ms. Blu owned by Harry Thommason, who didn't even make the trip because he was in China at the time. "That's probably the best borrowed boat deal I ever organized," says Peter.

Can you identify the "most-trusted" helmsman?