Starts on the 'honor system'!
In the back-breaking effort to follow, The Good Guys never saw more than five knots of wind and we can't tack in less than four! It's a back-breaking, crew-intensive effort to move our displacement in these conditions, even if we can see! I learned to trust in the GPS, because the eyes and instincts were definitely deceiving.
In the back of the fleet, Trophy Wife at the helm made the key decision not to drop the chute at the 'leeward' mark; we were able to ghost (definitely a well-chosen word) our way out of a cluster of drifting wind-shadows. Thankfully, the Race Committee took their boat out to finish everyone. Otherwise The Good Guys, who never quit, would still be out there, circling....
This Harbor-20 Ocean-20, recently purchased by my ex-Mainsheet Trimmer, finished 4th in the light going.
In addition to your nautical skills, you're a very good photographer. I like that particular shot a lot.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the race committee should have bent the rules to get a race in. However, they did better than the race committee at Fisher Island who scheduled a race after the hurricane fizzled - the 35 knot winds and huge swells put two boats on the rocks and caused an all standing jibe on a Farr 30 which killed somebody.
ReplyDeleteIs that a New Orleans Saints spinaker? I want an Eagles one!
ReplyDeleteSo, how'd the Good Guys come out?
ReplyDeleteWe notched a 10th out of 20 boats. I'm okay with that. Six or seven failed to finish.
ReplyDeleteDetector, I side with those who think it's a bad idea for Yacht Clubs to cancel races on account of weather conditions. Otherwise, sooner or later when someone gets hurt, a club will get sued because they failed to ensure the safety of all boats in the prevailing conditions. The safety of crews is best left up to the skippers. Fisher Island conditions were horrendous from my perspective. I wouldn't allowed my boat to go out. Five years ago, maybe. Not now. I'm too old a fart to do stuff like that.
ReplyDeleteVery nice site. The photo's are fab.
ReplyDeleteTim
Hey, Doc! I will be adding this to my blogroll when I get home from work in the morning. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteIf I lived near a bigger lake, I'd love to have a Harbor 20. Sigh. Better for my pocket book that we don't.
ReplyDelete