Month: July 2010

NORTON SIMON MUSEUM

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Norton simon Museum in Pasadena. This is perhaps my favorite Museum in the United States. Not only because of the collection, but the space is so pleasant and easy. The Garden is peaceful and pleasant, and despite its public nature offers a kind of solace and quiet. It would be easy to argue that merits of so many other museums, and I probably would not disagree with anything anyone said in defense of these institutions. But I could just sit in the Norton Simon.
  In New York I often joked that I wanted to live at the Frick; another such wonderful and agreeable space.
 A final remark, I read that Abby Sunderland’s father made some strange statements on the Today Show concerning the Bermuda Race, Statements that were quickly rectified by John Rousmaniere. Remarks such as those he made only re-enforce the idea that he acted foolishly and selfishly.

LOS ANGELES

Julia Morgan, architect of San Simeon, the Herald Examiner and other projects for William Hurst as well as other important commissions.  No discussion of Los Angeles is complete without including her.

  Los Angeles is so rich with architectural gems,and preservation of these buildings has been quite good here.

  People watching in Los Angeles has endless possibilities, even in Whole Foods, while shopping for groceries.
  My primary purpose here is to help my children. I have been sawing, painting, sewing, hammering, drilling. But I always carry my camera.

DENNIS HOPPER OPENING AT THE MOCA GEFFEN

Last night we went to the opening of the Dennis Hopper exhibit at the MOCA Geffen center. Click here to see who else was there. I could easily make it a social diary moment. This had been arranged by our daughter-in-law. I was delighted to go and had a great time. I probably would not had made the effort myself, but glad I did. The event was a cross between an art exhibit and a rave.(there are a DJ playing techno music) The building lends itself perfectly to something like this. (the weather doesn’t hurt)
  Dennis Hopper’s photographs were the most interesting part of the show for me. Much more than his art, as the photographs were a sort of narrative of his life. How he saw, what he saw, what image he chose to capture.
  It was an LA moment for sure. We had driven from north of San Francisco to LA along route 1. I had long wanted to do this. I stopped every other minute to take pictures. This event was a sharp contrast to the images of the California coast.
   I had been concerned that I would be told not to take photographs, but the I phones were everywhere and  in the end I expect it is LA/Hollywood where taking or posing for photographs practically a way of life.

America’s Cup 1975

1975 was an active year for me. After the America’s Cup we moved to Cowes, on the Isle of Wight where I worked at Souter’s building boats. I continued to sail, skippering the prototype of the Swan 41, named “GunFleet of Hamble” in the Admiral’s Cup Trials. Then the Transatlantic race from Newport to Cowes on “Weald” a Swan 48. Cowes week on “Gitana VI” a new S&S 66′ for Baron Rothschild. The Fastnet on “Guia” a Bob Miller 44′ formerly known as “Gingko”

duke of york
Guia leaving the the fastnet
gunfleet of hamble
gitana vi
wsl and my mother in law at the hamble

    During Cowes week where most everyone was there. I was invited to a meeting with Bob Miller, Johan Valentine, Alan Bond, Warren Jones,  and a few others. Ironically, Bob Miller had taken the apartment over the Duke of York where Bernadette and I had lived for more than a year.  This meeting was a proposal for me to go to Australia to build the next challenger for the America’s Cup. Naturally lots of questions and answers. The final moment was when Alan Bond asked if I would bring the lines of “Courageous” which I had built. When I answered “NO” the meeting was over.

CALIFORNIA COAST

We are north of San Francisco, Wine country. Every turn reveals something new and startling. Yesterday we drove along the Russian River to the ocean. We drove through groves of Redwood trees, large for us, but not like the really big trees further north. The coast in this part of the world is so beautiful so fresh, so unspoiled.

It turns out that one of my ancestors moved here from Lancaster, Ma in 1870. He too wrote about being overcome by the beauty and climate.

July 1st 2010

I just can’t seem to move off the Bermuda Race Thread. Here is a remark from Scotty Kaufmann taken from Scuttlebutt. Scotty is of course entirely correct in his statement. He designed a similar surgery to the first “Boomerang”, designed and built by Bob Derecktor and had a serious case of the slows. Scotty’s changes made it a competitive boat. 
    My fondest memory sailing with Scotty is the St. Petersburg to Ft. Lauderdale race, was it in 1980?  It was a fresh breeze from the north. Bob Derecktor was aboard. It was a shy reach at the start. (remember these are the days when everything was big and heavy.)  “Boomerang” was 66 feet; so a mini-maxi in the class with “Kialoa” at 80 feet.
    We were able to hold the spinnaker with two people steering. It was real work. Jeff Neuberth, Scotty and myself were rotating every 15 minutes steering, while the one out would watch the compass. We were holding the big boats in front of us, pushing water, going 17 knots. 
  There are many associated stories, some of which might be too colorful for print. 
      Larry Ellison and the America’s cup were at the White House yesterday. Today they will be in Newport, RI.  Newport must be very excited, Larry Ellison also happens to own a house in Newport, which has led to speculation that Newport could be a legitimate contender for the America’s cup in the future. It is unlikely, Space and money are the primary obstacles.
  All of these musings should be put in the context ofthe BP oil spill, now 73 days and counting, and the still fragile economy of the world.
I am in California, north of San Francisco, visiting my children, I am reminded each time of the variety and beauty of California. This is wine country, and for many there is the association with France, however these colors and shapes are for me much more like Spain.