Race Week Boat-Bites and More

Who says that sailing is a non-contact sport? As shown in these pictures, there was lots of contact between various body parts and various boat parts. The boat usually won.

The week started off on Sunday with the usual kick-off party. We got to see a bunch of old friends and make some new ones. Monday came early enough, and even though with a crew of seven we were short-handed, and even though Jeff, my partner in foredeck crime, wouldn't be in Oak Harbor till Wednesday, the day started off with a lot of optimism. When we left Oak Harbor, the winds were light, but more than sufficient for racing. On the way to the racecourse, we talked about our positions and what we'd be doing. Even though we were short-handed, Lezlie was filling in for a couple of days, and the rest of us had raced together in the Friday Night Series all summer. I thought I could handle the foredeck with help from Lezlie, and I could help out in the back when running upwind. I was confident that we would do at least OK.

Well, as the winds came up, my confidence rapidly disappeared. We ran aground (temporarily), missed a finish line completely, and I screwed up a jibe so badly that I just about fell overboard getting it unscrewed. By the time the two races were over, we were all bruised, battered, bewildered, and solidly in second-last place.

Tuesday was better. The winds weren't quite a strong, we got a little extra help from Chris' dad, and from Herb who helped out a bit in the cockpit. Lezlie and I stayed on the foredeck. But even though we didn't make any major mistakes, we couldn't beat anyone except Good as Gold.

Wednesday was a day off due to no wind. 120 boats milled around the committee boat, waiting for the postponement flag to come down. It never did come down, so the boats ended up rafted-up at the small dock in Coupeville. I suspect that the ice cream parlor there set a new one-day sales record.

Thursday and Friday, we had our full crew in place. Jeff and I had our usual spots on the foredeck, and Kelly took over grinding chores in the cockpit. It all came together pretty well. We had a few minor foul-ups, but nothing came close to the various messes on Monday. It was still somewhat disappointing that in spite of our best efforts, and even though we weren't always last across the line, by the time the PHRF adjustments were made, we were still at the hind end of our class.

I think that this year, the boats and crews were better than last year. Last year, we could look at a couple of the boats, and could say that if we hadn't screwed up, we would have beaten them. This year, other than Good as Gold, there was really no one within reach. For full race results, check out this link. We were racing on Surt in the P3 fleet.

For your sadistic viewing pleasure, here are some boat-bites, and more.

Jeff had the good sense to wear knee and shin pads, but they weren't enough.














Here's the Dolly Mama showing off her otherwise fine legs.













And a good one on the forearm!


















And to add insult to injury, it was cold out there! Here we are, mostly bundled up and ready to race. From left to right, Larry, Kelly, Dolly, Skipper Mike, Chris, Me, Connie, and Jeff.











It's quite a sight to see 120 boats milling around before the first starts.













The wind was blowing back in Oak Harbor.


















Here's the crew on after the final day of racing. From left to right, Mike, Kathleen, Chris, Steve, Kelly, Dolly, Connie, and Jeff. (I was taking the picture)











Here we are, waiting for wind.













All-in-all, it was a great week, and masochists that we are, we're looking forward to next year!