Liberty is being free from the things we don't like in order to be slaves of the things we do like.--Ernest Benn

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Quitters Never Win

But sometimes it's important to quit in a timely manner in order to win another day. Crew morale week-in and week-out is critical for a successful campaign. Today's race is a case in point. 

Das Boot was confronted with true wind from 2 to 5 knots. We still managed to pull off a perfect port tack start on the very favored port end of the line. Miraculous, even. With so little at stake, given the hopeless conditions prevailing, I had no business risking it.  Immediately after clearing other starters, I turned the helm over to Trophy Wife, our Light Wind Specialist (LWS). My  beer muscle was needed on the leeward rail.

LWS skillfully threaded our way, so to speak, through myriad starboard tackers. But in the end, we were no match for those 155% Genoas arrayed against us. We could not clear the Sargasso Sea of kelp, much less fetch the first mark. We reluctantly conceded and removed our piece from the chessboard.


On our way in, we picked up another kelp victim. I felt gratified that our refurbished crew is jelling, especially Kiteboarder! As we walked to our cars, the 3rd and 4th place boats in our fleet were finishing. 

I was home in time to see our last place Dodgers stretch their winning streak to five games, sweeping the Giants. I'm glad they don't quit!

6 comments:

  1. Walking to your cars? Didn't have the Chorinthian spirit to come up to the bar & buy drinks for those of us who finished? The Dodgers would have won without you losers watching them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, Shpunt! It's Corinthian! Lol. lol. lol. burp!

      Delete
  2. We didn't go out, but here's the score: 15 boats started, 7 dropped out. A-Fleet didn't finish a single boat.

    Here're the words from the SBNP sports page:

    Yachts fight with placid winds. . . . A sail race without wind is less of a race and more of an exercise in extreme patience. That was the case on Wednesday, as the light breeze of the day essentially dropped down to nothing early on . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a case of THE WEDNESDAY CURSE. It's blowing 15-20 knots now, 24 hours later.

    ReplyDelete
  4. During this hot weather, let's not be praying so much for high winds as we do for no fires. What say you?

    ReplyDelete