ALL ABOARD !

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the train rides in griffith park alongside the pony rides are easily accessible for children and parents

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER

LOS ANGELES

There is a new view at every turn in Los Angeles. I was stunned to see the number of people at the Griffith Observatory on a weeknight. It was a splendid Southland evening.

During the morning I visited Hollywood Forever; a curious cemetery with peacocks roaming the grounds. Perhaps that’s what celebrities want. It also has movie screenings where you can picnic while watching a movie in the cemetery. While there I was approached by security and told that I could only photograph celebrity graves. I wonder if our idea of celebrity were the same?

RYS TO ADMIT WOMEN

Royal Yacht Squadron to allow female members

A tradition of restricted male only membership dating back almost 200 years has been swept aside by the Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight after the membership voted to allow women in as full members

Sign of the times: After 198 years Royal Yacht Squadron votes to allow women as full members

By Kate Laven

12:26PM BST 05 Aug 2013

A meeting on Sunday, attended by 150 of the 475 members, voted unanimously in favour of the motion to extend membership privileges to women. There was not a single vote in opposition though the decision still has to be ratified by the full membership.

Officials at the Squadron, which is housed in a grand castle in Cowes and billed as one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, said they had been lobbying members on the issue of women’s membership for four years before yesterday’s ballot.

There was no announcement from the RYS which established their ‘gentlemen only’ membership in 1815 when the club was founded and the club declined to comment.

Even lady associate members, the wives of existing full members, who were not eligible to vote, were unaware of this dramatic change of policy.

RYS invites candidates to join but the only known criteria for membership is an active interest in sailing.

FIRST LOUIS VUITTON SEMI-FINAL

The first race of the semi finals was between Artemis and Luna Rossa. The Italians were victorious.

GATHERING OF THE CLANS

America’s Cup sailing Hall of Fame inductees honored

America’s Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

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America’s Cup sailing Hall of Fame inductees honored

By Evan Borders – KTVU.com

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —

Some 200-plus of the who’s who of the America’s Cup gathered at the De Young Museum at Golden Gate Park to honor this year’s inductees for the Cup Hall of Fame.

Established in 1992, the America’s Cup Hall of Fame celebrates and recognizes the achievements of individuals within the sport of sailing and in particular the America’s Cup competition. On a regular basis, several personalities are identified by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee to be inducted.

The first person to be inducted this year is an American woman, Lucy Jewett, who has been active in the America’s Cup almost continuously since 1974. She is the second woman to enter the Hall of Fame.

The next of the three 2013 inductions is made posthumously to Australian Noel Robins, who was active over the period spanning 1977 through 1987 initially as a sailor and lastly as an organizer. The final inductee is fellow Australian Grant Simmer, who has won the America’s Cup three times over 30 years.

The black-tie affair hosted by Louis Vuitton was attended by members of the teams currently competing for the Louis Vuitton Cup as well as of America’s Cup Defender ORACLE TEAM USA. The semi-finals for the Louis Vuitton Cup, the Challenger Selection Series for the America’s Cup, begin August 6th on San Francisco Bay where Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge go head-to-head

The America’s Cup Hall of Fame for me is more about who is left out rather than who is included. Everyone who participates in the America’s Cup makes a contribution that moves the sport forward.

A prime example is Gerry Driscoll. His participation in the cup spanned several decades. Never made it to the “final dance”, by that I mean he never was a defending skipper. His contributions were genuine and made the cup racing better, in the 12 meter era.

Ken Read, Gary Jobson and others are all in San Francisco as the Cup season gathers momentum.