Less than 30 minutes away. Don't see Macavity or Oral Exam on the line. Nor do I see any wind to speak of. Zilch on the latter. There is nothing, there. Plenty of opportunities for winning places when there doesn't appear to be enough wind to beat the current. That's what Psyche Song teaches!
Well, I don't believe this picture is as bad as it appears to be. Nor do I believe Macavity won't appear. We shall see what we shall see.
Update (20:38 PDT): Got off to my best start ever, and worked myself up to position 18 (out of 207,000+).
But when the wind filled in, I found myself in an adverse wind direction. Now I am around 420 and losing boats quickly. I don't think I can stop the bleeding until new wind comes in at 02:00 tomorrow. Beating at about 53 deg TWA. What else can I do?Macavity and gang finally showed; they're back a ways. Bailiff also showed. Trailer Park Girl is the closest competitor at this point.
Have to press on.
May 25:
Trailer Park Girl finishes First in Fleet! This is Leg turned out to be the closest VORG event that I have been in. Substantial leads changed back and forth throughout our trans-Alantic crossing. TPG came from behind to grab 1st in Fleet in a photo-finish (click to expand):
Finishing in four digits behind TPG were Oral Exam, Wyliecat-30, Gilded Butterflies, Bailiff, and Macavity. (Oral Exam finished ahead of me by a mere 18 places!) Notably, these members of our SBYC Group also finished 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th in the 53-Member California Club.
Unfortunately, None of us finished under 1,000! For us, who have to contend with 2 A.M. watches, that achievement should be equivalent to line honors. Maybe next Leg?
Congratulations to all who sailed.
Each VORG Leg ultimately turns itself into several races because there are so many boats and they eventually spread themselves into different theatres which merge at buoys and finishes. The boats in each theatre compete intensely with each other, oblivious to the alternative theatre(s). In the middle of these dramas in each theatre, the game plays with your mind.
ReplyDeleteLate yesterday afternoon, I returned from a BBQ and (ahem) took a short nap (which turned into 2-3 hours). Before falling a sleep I check the boat and confidently noted that it had just passed #400. When I woke from my oversleeping, I had lost 900 boats, which turned into twice that number, probably because of my over reaction.
What I think happened now that I have had a chance to think about it (and sleep on it), was the boats which opted to sail along the original great circle route found themselves in a competitive position and had more to do with my comparative ranking than the boats around me with which I had been comparing my performance.
I knew that. Question is, why do I have to continually re-learn it?
I am now in the 1,300s.
I am too old and slow-witted to compete in this race. Details escape me, still.
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