Well, you see, back on 18 July 2002, I was laid off from my job at Transmeta. After a couple of weeks of moping around and not having anything to do, it dawned on me: The America’s Cup! I’ve been an avid sailor for over 8 years, first at Getaway Sailing in Baltimore, and for the past five years at OCSC in Berkeley. Anyway, the two previous America’s Cups were held in 2000 (in Auckland, NZ) and 1995 (in San Diego, CA). I wasn’t able to see either of them, what with being tied up with work and all. So, finding the silver lining in the cloud that is losing one’s job, this is the perfect time to do some traveling and spectate up close and personal. As an added bonus, the Around Alone boats will be making a stopover on the other side of New Zealand’s North Island in the town of Tauranga - I’ll get to see those magnificent vessels as well.