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| These guys finished right in front of us. |
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| This "Couch-28", finishing right behind us, is the object of my dreams. |
The 2nd Annual Dave McEachen Memorial Race was an important one for all of us, because Dave was (is) important to us. And it was important to do our best, as he did, always. And a special course is prescribed by the SI's which so reverses our normal courses that our venue seems to be completely transformed. Neat!
But I was not especially hopeful because Spinnaker Dude and Mainsheet Man were both out of the picture, doing their important stuff. But our crew Shanghaied up a sea-going couple who they knew. The guy was a Chesapeake sailor who knew mainsheet really well and the lady brought ice-cold brews for all (against my commandment). That was good. And in the last hour a friend, who is an MIR (my broker) called and asked for a ride and could we pick him up at the guest dock???
As it turned out, the Extra Crew (wind) did not entirely show up to add perfection to this evolving scenario. Actually 14 semi-steady knots did materialize. With an MIR aboard you are going to learn something more about your boat and your techniques that you should have learned long ago. We did. We also learned something about which side of water to sail in. That was counterintuitive but far from counterproductive. In this 15-20 boat fleet, Chesapeake Man collected a 4th Place glass. GR8 party afterwards!
But I was not especially hopeful because Spinnaker Dude and Mainsheet Man were both out of the picture, doing their important stuff. But our crew Shanghaied up a sea-going couple who they knew. The guy was a Chesapeake sailor who knew mainsheet really well and the lady brought ice-cold brews for all (against my commandment). That was good. And in the last hour a friend, who is an MIR (my broker) called and asked for a ride and could we pick him up at the guest dock???
As it turned out, the Extra Crew (wind) did not entirely show up to add perfection to this evolving scenario. Actually 14 semi-steady knots did materialize. With an MIR aboard you are going to learn something more about your boat and your techniques that you should have learned long ago. We did. We also learned something about which side of water to sail in. That was counterintuitive but far from counterproductive. In this 15-20 boat fleet, Chesapeake Man collected a 4th Place glass. GR8 party afterwards!
What's "MIR"?
ReplyDeleteMIR = Marine Industry Representative = professional sailor.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the couch, Doc? Is that an Alerion? Sweet nonetheless. Those Chesapeake sailors
ReplyDeleteknow a thing or two.......
Yeah, Baydog. The contrast is startling between the Sabre-36 on the left and my 'couch-craft' on the right is dramatic. I'm too old to be walking around, or even standing up, on a yacht. I'm wanting to be sitting in a boat. Ideally, I'd be that guy sitting facing aft. He's got to be the braintrust on that crew. I've offered people to trade -straight across - my 38er for an Alerion-28, but to no avail. For what we end up getting for our current love in this market, we'll never be able to afford an Alerion.
DeleteGreat story, I felt like I was on the boat with you all.
ReplyDelete