'72 Napa/Americas Cup Weekend
Sept 5-9 2013



The race is on!  After the usual maneuvering, legal and otherwise, the America's Cup is underway ... three boats are vying for the right to race against Team Oracle in the finals this September.  And our event is drawing closer.  Thanks to everyone who replied to our first query ... we still have a full complement.  Your committee has finalized details and paid deposits for all of our activities.
For those of you unschooled in Americas Cup Racing, please find Jack Griffin's primer on the sport below

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/living/2013/08/26/americas-cup-101.cnn.html

The weekend agenda is listed below as is a list of confirmed sign-ups.

Best,

Larry Kurtz
Jack Griffin
Gina Caldwell

Schedule for '72 Napa/America's Cup Weekend
Thursday, September 5

Guests arrival
Acqua Hotel, Mill Valley ... http://www.marinhotels.com/acqua-hotel/home

6-9 PM          Cocktails and Buffet Dinner @ Piazza D'Angelo, Mill Valley

-- This event is set up so that you can come and go according to your schedule, to accommodate late arrivals
-- We have arranged with D'Angelo's to have a semi-private raised area at the back of restaurant for buffet dinner, which will be put out at 7 PM
-- We also have an outdoor patio area, where they will serve cocktails beginning at 6 PM, and dessert after
-- There will be a variety of tables set, so that you can catch up with classmates and move around
-- You can check out the restaurant at http://www.piazzadangelo.com/

Friday, September 6

9 AM
  - Board Buses @ Acqua Hotel and Depart for Napa
10 AM - Arrive Saintsbury Winery for Tour and Tasting
-- Saintsbury Winery is an award-winning winery in the Carneros region, known for fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
-- We will enjoy a tasting of several wines, including a barrel tasting, with charcuterie
-- We will be greeted and hosted by David Graves, co-founder and co-owner
-- You can check out the winery at http://www.saintsbury.com/
11:30 AM - Depart Saintsbury
Noon - Sandwiches/chips from Oakville Grocery at Yountville Park
-- You can check out this staple of Napa Valley picnics at http://www.oakvillegrocery.com/
-- You can also see the sandwich menu ... we'll take orders a couple of weeks ahead of time for pick-up
-- With two hours, you can also take a short walk around charming Yountville before re-boarding our buses 
2 PM  - Depart Lunch
2:30 PM - Arrive Hall Rutherford for Tour and Tasting
-- Hall is an award-winning winery owned by Kathryn Hall and her husband Jim Hall
-- The main winery building, designed by Frank Gehry, is on Highway 29 just south of St. Helena
-- Hall's Rutherford location is a private home on the hillside above Auberge d'Soleil, with commanding views of Napa Valley
-- We will separate into two groups for tours and tasting, which will alternate times
-- Kathryn Hall was ambassador to Austria during the Clinton Administration
-- Rather than use the normal blown gunite for the caves below the house, she used bricks reclaimed from a Habsburg castle
-- The underground dining room features a Swarovski crystal chandelier created as a vine's underground root system
-- Melissa and I have been to several tours and dinners at Hall Rutherford ... it's an amazing place with great wines
-- You can check out the winery and Rutherford location at http://www.hallwines.com/ and http://www.hallwines.com/hall-rutherford
4:30 PM - Depart Hall Rutherford
6 PM - Arrive Spinnaker Sausalito for Cocktails and Dinner
-- Spinnaker is a Sausalito tradition on the Bay (and one of Gina's haunts), and we have a private view room with deck that is right on the water
-- We will have cocktails from 6-7 PM and dinner at 7 PM
-- Around 7:30, Jack Griffin will present his slide show about the America's Cup
-- For perspective on what Jack has been doing the past several years, check out his website, http://www.cupexperience.com/
-- And if you haven't already, sign up for his informative insider updates about which boat will challenge Larry Ellison's Oracle!
-- You can check out the restaurant at http://www.thespinnaker.com/
9 PM - Depart Spinnaker for Acqua Hotel

Saturday, September 7
9 AM - Board Buses at Acqua Hotel and Depart for SF
-- Once again, have breakfast on your own at the hotel before boarding
-- Bring a sweater and/or windbreaker jacket
10-noon Behind the Scenes America's Cup Tour
-- Jack will be leading the group through the competitor areas
12:30-4 America's Cup Races, Round One and Two
-- We will be there for the start of the competition
-- Jack has secured tickets in the Marina Green bleachers, which feature individual seats and loudspeaker expert commentary
-- Lunch will be on your own from snack bars near the bleachers
-- See a map of the course and our bleachers at http://www.americascup.com/en/experience/spectator-tickets
6 PM - Kurtz House in Mill Valley for Picnic Dinner
-- House sits above the town with views of the East Bay
-- You can roam around and check out our art collection, then enjoy wine and a picnic dinner on our putting green deck
-- Bring a sweater and/or windbreaker, it can get chilly (and that goes for the Bay also)
9 PM - Depart Kurtz House for Acqua Hotel

Sunday, September 8
All day
-- Once we know who is staying around, we can plan other informal activities such as brunch or a visit to Muir Woods
-- Jack is also standing by for people who want to stay around Monday-Tuesday for additional AC races

America's Cup/Napa '72 Final Sign-Up List
Larry Barbour
Phil Shinn
Bob Wright
Jim Robinson
Mary Wadsworth-Darby
Bruce Buchanan
Pam Lloyd
Garnett Chapin
David Whittaker
Randy Harris
Ed Strauss
Bill deGolian
Art Wood
Skip Rankin
Andy Wilson
Gayle Delaney (no room)
Nikos Monoyios
Pete Wendell (no room) (Lynn not Friday)
Michael Schneider
John McLean (+Andrew) (not Friday)
Scott Goldsmith
Eric Melum
Charlie Kireker
Rick Leuner
Tom Hoster (took Larry Sanford's room)
Rock Brockman (solo)
Jim Lawson (no room)
John Coppedge (needs room)
Organizers -- No Room
Jack Griffin
Larry Kurtz + Melissa
Gina Caldwell (dinners only)
William Caldwell (dinners plus AC event)