COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER....





Alinghi's bowman Dean Phipps and BMW ORACLE'S Brad Webb eyeing the starting line, and each other, at the start of Sunday's Race 3.





A terrific letter in this morning's Scuttlebutt about the UBS Trophy here in Newport:



* From Larry Pierce: This Saturday my family and I were in Newport where we moor our boat. We thought it would be interesting to watch the UBS Trophy so we motored out of the harbor (10 minutes) and the 2 behemoths were just about to duke it out. It was a blustery, crystal clear, day with the SW sea breeze losing domination to a NW breeze filling from a frontal passage.



In our immediate visage were at least a dozen perfectly restored 12 meters sailing around, J Class Endeavor, a Portuguese tall ship, countless mega yachts, and the Quonset Air Show overhead with the Blue Angels performing death-defying formations above. The 2 AC class monsters were so close that I thought we would be run through when I misjudged where to position my boat to watch the event. The magnificent Newport bridge to was to starboard, historic Fort Adams to port, mansions dotting the coastline and plenty of enthusiasm left in the fleet of spectators even though much of the harbor had left the previous day for the Newport Bermuda race.



Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe how lucky I am to be born near the epicenter of sailing in the US. What a spectacle! I have been fortunate to visit many a harbor here and abroad but nothing compares to Newport, RI.