Dedication:

This book is dedicated to the other redhead in my life,

Bonnie Randall

 

 

Warning to Readers:

This is a work of fiction.

Most of the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The America’s Cup race is real and has been contested on the high seas since 1851. In the Twenty-first century it has morphed in international event with preliminary races called the World Series using 45 foot long catamarans that are fast and temperamental, in 2013 they will change to 72 foot giants that can rip th heart of the ocean. It is these races that form the backdrop to this story of invention, creativity, and international intrigue. I wish to acknowledge Anthony Sandberg with OCSC Sailing for his comments and insight into sailboat racing. The concept of a high-tech catamaran is mine but the reality may not be too far into the future.

 

The Internet is now ubiquitous. Through Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, I was able to quickly research the America’s Cup, participants, and locations for this novel. In fact, using Google Earth I was able to locate scenes in Venice and Paris. All the major characters in this book are fictitious except for the high-tech genius Larry Ellison who is one of the most exciting and creative people in America’s Cup history, he is also the dynamic head of the Oracle Corporation.

 

I also must thank and acknowledge my editor, Dennis DeRose for his painstaking efforts to help make this book more precise and readable. And lastly, a thank you and a big kiss for my publisher and companion of the last forty years, Bonnie Randall, for her insightful questions and ideas for the story, the book is better for it. She is the other redhead in my life.

Fall 2012