Monday, July 27, 2009

Corsica River Race


I had a great time on this race. I was on an old Trident from 1964 called Sea Deuce. Very nice people own this boat & they gave me an opportunity to do pretty much whatever I wanted to do: from flying the chute to being on the main sheet. I also took the helm for a while--great experience. I have been so lucky that everyone I've been crewing with have been so great--from my regular Wednesday night folk to my off-shore J-42 crew, the First people who will be back for fall series races, the Catalina 27 fleet & now the Tritons. These racing experiences have all been diverse but all super ways to learn & become a better sailor--I thank everyone!

The one-designs are cool because whoever crosses the line first is the winner--no PHRF time issues. The downside is that the one-designs tend to be at the back of the fleet--the last boats to come in. I couldn't get a t-shirt for this race because they were gone by the time we got to shore. But I did meet a bunch of folk from the sport-boat single day regatta youth fleet (Lasers, Optis, Penguins, Comets, etc.) from Baltimore County--just what I needed to find for my son. After this summer in NC, I really want him to focus on his racing--this is a travel team with coaches & everything--such a great opportunity to hone his racing skills for the future.


Dinner was a traditional Eastern Shore summer feast: bbq chickens, fresh white corn, garden tomatoes with Balsamic, potato salad & watermelon. There was a great bluegrass band & until the storms rolled in, it was great fun. I looked up & saw the sky & I knew I needed to get back out to the boat pronto--there was no docking like at Miles--everybody rafted up with their friends or fleet--the Tritons together, the Cals, etc., & there were skiffs to bring everyone back & forth. So I catch a ride & the river starts whipping up into a frenzy--I got soaked. The three Tritons were under motor in case the anchors stopped holding & we needed to move fast. I climbed aboard & watched the light show all around--spectacular.
The picture above is from the morning--crabbers were out, it was calm, & seemed rather idyllic. But we needed to get going for our 10:20 gun. Another fun race back & I must say I truly enjoyed the experience--thanks to the folk on Sea Deuce--you are quality folk!


That morning I checked my emails via phone to learn that I was in fact racing in the Governor's Cup. Big race--70 miles overnight from Annapolis to St. Mary's City--new Governor's seat to the old Governor's seat. Very exciting but runs smack into my trip to Amsterdam. I had committed prior to the trip opportunity so we may have to leave one day later--no worries. Over the next few days I have to prepare for two big events: Gov Cup & Amsterdam--both in less than a week. Gov Cup: off-shore self-inflating life jacket with embedded harness, MOB light, flares, dye, whistle--night racing is no joke. Amsterdam--clothes, passport & drivers' lisense copied, keys made, etc., etc...but I am very excited for both--again, if I were in a serious relationship I most probably would be unable to have the adventures I'm having--I think Karma can be a wonderful thing....

2 comments:

Incognito said...

Congrats on making the Governor's Cup! Karma IS a good thing . . . . keep working on the side of love! (Sorry, that was stressed during SUUSI week and seemed appropriate here!)

Worrier King said...

Speaking of the Governor's Cup and getting Zach racing, check out St. Mary's College while you are down there. That's Rob Eisenberg's alma mater and it was just about the time he was going there that they started devleoping a really strong intercollegiate racing team. The coach since those days has been Adam Werblow who I competed with when I was racing in New England. I think they've one the national dinghy racing championship several times in the past few years.