Confessions of a Grinder: My first-person account of competing in the America’s Cup as a grinder on board the 12-meter USA from the St. Francis Yacht ... really cool, 1986-87, Fremantle, Australia

Back in February, 1986, I signed on to sail in the America's Cup. I was a lowly 'grinder,' the guy who does most of the work while being yelled at by the other crewmen. FUN! Actually it was a fun for the most part. And hard work. And miserable at times. And scary quite a few times, when the wind was raging off the Golden Gate Bridge. I was a part of the St. Francis Yacht Club syndicate - our 12-meter was called the USA. We had a wildman for a skipper, Tom Blackaller - 'Blacky' we called him. He was a kooky character to say the least. The America's Cup back then was contested in Fremantle, Australia, where the wind would come screaming across the Indian Ocean, right into our faces. Exciting times off the coast of Western Australia. 'Confessions' is a first-person, truthful account of what it was like to be a part of a crazy endeavor, as a worker ant, 'before the mast' as the saying goes. Hope you like it, Brad Alan Lewis