Ideas germinate in funny places. With Lisa Foster, it happened in line at a supermarket in Melbourne, Australia, in early 2005 when the checkout operator asked her if she wanted a bag for her purchases.

“The woman in front of me had these big green bags with all her stuff in them,” she recalled. “And the woman behind had them. And they were both looking at me and the cashier was looking at me and clearly the answer should have been: ‘I’ve brought my own bags.’ ”

It was a busy day for Kamala Harris; her Vineyard vacation was drawing to a close and she was pressed for time. Stopping for a television interview on her way to catch a flight to New York city, the San Francisco district attorney, who is running for California Attorney General in 2010, arrived hurried but not flustered. The lights snapped on, a cameraman mimed a countdown, and she was on; speaking with precision about crime rates, recidivism, and the California budget crisis.

Six sailboats are participating in this weekend’s 15th annual Edgartown Yacht Club 12-metre regatta, a three-day sailing event that also is a spectator sport for anyone with an eye toward Nantucket Sound.

These are the World Cup boats, sailing out of the past, about 70 feet in length with 90-foot tall masts. This year’s participating boats include: Intrepid, Courageous, Weatherly, American Eagle, Columbia and Easterner.

Practice racing is scheduled for this afternoon; the racing takes place tomorrow and Sunday.