Today's Joint Birthday Party: Live Blogging

Of late "live blogging" at political conventions and other gatherings has become a bit of an in-thing. Always wanting to stay abreast of modern times, today we are trying it for the first time here on the EFB. Live-blogging may have potential at an America's Cup event or regatta down the road, and the EFB has always served as a bit of a laboratory for our follow-ons: the Challenger Commission Blog and the BMW ORACLE Racing Team Blog.

On this warm, sunny Saturday in Valencia, Meg and Hayley Braun (daughter of BMWOR teammate JB and Kelley Braun) are staging a joint-celebration of their late-September birthdays. Happy 14th both!

First stage of this afternoon's party is a costume contest....



12:30 -- Early arrivals, from left, co-birthday girl Hayley Braun (USA), Olivia Davidson (NZL), Emily Hanrahan-Smith (AUS), Meg, Rosa Huhtamaki (FIN), Meggie Davison (AUS).



12:45 -- Anna Wilcox (NZL/SWE), Ryan Immers (NZL) and Alex Davidson (NZL).



13:00 -- Rasmus Bank (DEN) and Ryan Braun (USA, Hayley's bro).



13:30 -- Costume contest group photo, then they held a vote for the best costumed male and female.



13:45 -- Voted best costumes: "East Side Pimp" and "Zebra Girl" with their prizes.

After the slide show was a timed "obstacle course" that the girls had made up for each of the guests to run. Points were scored for style/success at each stage which gained you a deduction in 10 seconds per point off your overall time. Hayley was the overall winner, and here is a video of her winning run....

[coming soon]

After the obstacle course the kids swam then took the train into Valencia to visit Starbucks and then their favorite shopping mall (Aqua) before heading back out to the house for dinner, presents, dancing and a night (and I mean all night) of movie watching. Hayley's parents Kelley and JB Braun joined us for dinner along with other son Tucker and JB's dad, Gerry who was visiting from the States.

The last of the 13 partiers crashed at 0600 (as did your editor/chaperone), but they were all up and having breakfast by 1000 or so. Below is a video slide show of dinner through the aftermath Sunday morning....



Leslie and our friend visiting from Hamburg, Anneli Teichmann, did a yeoman's job of preparing and carrying out the food and logistics -- the event itself was largely planned by Hayley and Meg. Good thing it can only happen once a year!

Delta Dawn

The 49th annual St. Francis Yacht Club Stag Cruise at Tinsley Island last weekend was, as always, most enjoyable -- made ever more so by the four gentlemen below, among others, with whom I was billeted otra vez on the Brovelli/Peatman houseboat. I gave the Friday afternoon "Lighthouse Talk" with many of the 500 or so Stag Cruise participants in attendance. Topic, of course, was the America's Cup; also promo'd the upcoming Allianz Cup which will be hosted by St. Francis the last week of October (see the Q&A about the Allianz Cup over on the BMW ORACLE Blog that was posted yesterday). Good times!



Dawn in the Delta -- from left, long-time St Francis luminaries and by now old friends: Staff Commodore Ed Brovelli, Dick Fenton, Paxton Davis and Staff Commodore Charles Corbitt. The photo was taken at 0715 Sunday morning after departing Tinsley by speedboat, at a marina in the Sacramento River delta near Stockton. With flights to catch (to say nothing of Sunday NFL games on TV -- especially Packy's beloved, no joke, Green Bay Packers), rather than cruising the six or so hours by boat back to St. Francis YC, we got a lift in Pax's car for the 90-minute drive into town.

Neologism Contest

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words -- forwarded to the EFB by Grandpa Tom (Ehman Sr). The winners are:

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.

6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.

9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.

11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.

12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

Cy Gillette

The sad news that Cy passed away, age 92, came last week. He was a dear friend, mentor and great contributor to our sport. Originally a Detroit boy, he had lived in Honolulu since World War II. Because of sailing, brother Paul (Maui) knew him as well; for at least the past 30 years Cy was widely regarded as the "dean of yachting" in Hawaii. On Thursday I posted a piece about Cy on the Challenger Commission Blog that those of you who knew or knew of him will appreciate.

Below are a couple of group photos with Cy and myself that bring back fond memories....



Maxi Worlds, June, 1987 at Newport, RI. From left the late Ted King (USA), Graeme Hayward (CAN), Goran Petersson (SWE, and now President of the International Sailing Federation), John Bonds (USA), the late Cy Gillette (USA), TFE and Ken Ryan (IRL); this was the first group of judges to "umpire" -- follow in a motorboat and impose a penalty to be taken during the race by a yacht judged to have infringed the rules.



Congressional Cup, March, 1988 at Long Beach, CA. Less than a year after the maxi worlds umpiring had been endorsed by the ISAF (then the International Yacht Racing Union) for development and the '88 Congo Cup was where it was first used on the international match racing circuit. Above is the jury/umpires with '88 Congo Cup winner, Peter Gilmour (AUS, front row, center). I served as Chief Judge and Umpire. Cy (top row, third from the left), always on the cutting edge, was aboard, too, and a key early supporter of umpiring. Likewise Bryan Willis (top row, center with the beard) who chaired the America's Cup jury in 2000 and 2003, and is doing so again for AC 32 here in Valencia. Indeed, how time flies.

2nd Annual Back to School BBQ

Last night Leslie threw her second annual BTSBBQ for 25 or so "46530" (the local postal code) familes who we know here through the Cup, Meg's school, her soccer team, Leslie's tennis, NATO, etc. A total of 83 adults and kids from 3 to 73 or so.

We were a bit busy with the party so didn't have much time to take snaps, but below are a few. Check also the Braun Family Blog as Kelley had her camera in action. And Niccolo Porzio shot some video of the extensive sing-along featuring Desiree Falter (DEN, United Internet Team Germany) and Lars Boecking (GER, Shosholoza). No doubt the vid will show up when we least expect it.

Meg had the teens ensconsed upstairs in her room playing cards, listening to music, and messing around online, and playing pool. We hardly saw or heard from them all night, unlike the younger kids who had the run of the place. A few even ventured into the pool, despite the cooler temps these days).