Today would have been my grandfather's 103rd birthday. My amazing Pops who loved nothing more than to be out on a sailboat. He is my hero--and I hope I've done him proud over these past 5 years, obsessively racing on a bunch of sailboats. Last night was the opening race of the Wednesday Night Series on the West River. So glad to be back out there. As I looked around at the scenery (rare when so focused on getting the boat to go faster), I also recognized in me that same feeling: There is no other place I'd rather be than sailing.
Four years ago almost to the date, I met Xing Fu for the first time down on the West River. My son & I used to drive down every other Wednesday to race & I remember the first time we went down there (also because I mention the time in a blog post) & I saw Xing Fu--it was cold & wet & he had on his foulies with a knit cap--too cute. Granted, never thought too much beyond that for that season but look where we are now. And last night we sailed together again down there & I also realized that there is no other person that I'd rather be sailing/racing with. So a tribute to my Pops & a tribute to the West River where I found my passion renewed. I also recently revisited past posts about sailing--I have learned a TON from that first post & the first race back out--reading about my Miles River experience on the Catalina 27 & how handling the kite was really baffling at the time & how the set & douse were beyond me. Even my vocabulary has changed as well as my knowledge of the tweaks in the sail trim. I love how I've grown into the sport again & I love that I have a partner who loves it at least as much as me. Yup, being a nostalgic sop but someone's gotta do it!
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| Annapolis |
WooHoo! It's back! Wednesday Night Racing in Annapolis! And I am so psyched for a new season. I'm on a new boat with a new skipper (very experienced sailor), new crew, & new position. All of us have sailed & raced fairly extensively & it looks to be a good mix of folk. Even more exciting for me is the opportunity to be on main. It makes me more valuable as a crew member in that I have the ability to pretty much slip in wherever needed (my Wednesday night ride doesn't do weekend regattas). Since I don't have a designated boat for the weekend regattas yet, I have to find boats who need crew. Unfortunately Xing Fu & I missed the Crew Listings Party from Spin Sheet last week because my son was in a crew (rowing) regatta in Chestertown. Excited for him to be participating in a great sport that I did competitively in college, but bummed that I couldn't meet skippers looking for crew for sailing in weekend regattas.
But with two races down so far, I'm so happy to be out there learning a new sail. Just hope I can figure it out eventually--and I hope the skipper has patience. The season is young....
What a wild ride last night! It was the opening race for the Wednesday Night Series in Annapolis & the winds were pretty intense--gonna say at least 25 knots sustained, 35 knot gusts, with threats of thunderstorms & a tornado watch. Call me crazy--hells yeah--with about 60 other boats! Actually, that was what was so jaw-dropping to me. I had never been out for a Wednesday in Annapolis--only White Rocks with my grandfather & the West River. The West River has a lot of boats but holy crap, Batman! Annapolis was insane! Just getting ready for the first race & getting the watch set with the guns from the RC, I had an opportunity as did the rest of the crew to really take it all in--I think most of us hadn't realized how many folk were out there along with t2p.tv & Spinsheet taking pics & video--it is a big-ass deal. And here we were, up from Pirate's Cove, competing with the rest of the J-30 fleet--adrenaline rush!
We worked our asses off & didn't even fly the kite. At one point we dumped the main & were only using the number 3 jib & we still were able to clock 7 knots on the tacktik...crazy! And we didn't finish last--WOOHOO! I gotta say, it was a rush! And, as we were rounding a mark, up comes a J-105 who attempted to squeeze us out--my skipper is yelling at the other skipper to hold his course--at first I thought he was ignoring us, & then she got a bit more insistent--we all had to laugh--"Bump... comes to Annapolis!" Welcome! And fireworks too (a huge lightening storm overhead as we crossed the finish)! Great to be with my crew & back on my boat--I will miss them at NOODs, sailing instead on another J30--competition. But, as always, looking forward to the rest of the season, flying out of Annapolis.
Check out t2p.tv http://www.t2p.tv/index.php They usually broadcast the Wednesday Night Races & there may be a glimpse of us there or on Spin Sheet http://www.spinsheet.com/ I am posting a picture taken by Spin Sheet last year during the Miles River Race. Very light air--NOT like last night.
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| "Benehuntalina" |
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| Racing |
Had a very cool opportunity last night while racing. I was able to bring my BFF(J) down to the West River & join our boat. We had pretty decent wind too so she had opportunity to actually pitch in--when you are short crew members--makes you an instant asset, even beyond just being "rail meat". It is always cool when you bring someone outside of racing (she is a windsurfer & kite surfer so she's not a total noob) into the "fold" & have them experience the excitement that is sailboat racing--especially if there's actually wind on the Chesapeake in July like we had last night. I also was anxious for her to meet people that I've come to enjoy spending time with--consider them friends & not just "the boat that I sail on." Plus, as time progresses, I have also forged relationships with other folk on many of the other boats & I look forward to dinner after the race to talk with them as well--good to share with my BFF(J) a part of my life that folk up here in Baltimore just don't see. And since Xing Fu is away this week, it was much easier to orchestrate a time to leave & not have to be concerned with coordinating with three people--also helped that her children, as well as my son are all away at overnight camp so no worries about who's going to watch the kids (not that they necessarily need watching at their ages). I hope she decides to join me again--I think she learned a lot about this racing--vastly different then her experiences on another friend of her's boat--I believe a Benehuntalina--ie., cruising. No triple-time need for speed there. I know that it was difficult for her as well--so much new vocabulary that one must digest quickly--can't just say, "put that rope around that thingy & pull!" Need to explain the winch, the handle, the self-tailer, the direction that you need to wrap the line around the winch, etc., etc. When cruising, there is so much more time to explain, or when there's little wind. The learning curve is way steeper when there is heavier wind during a race. But my BFF(J) was able to do a little jib trim at the end of the race as we came to the finish & the land sheltered the wind enough for her to get a little feel for what the sails should look like. I'm glad that my skipper gave her that opportunity.
An aside: feeling a bit like a "Sidedish Friend" these days.
Finally! Finally! Finally! Back out for Wednesday Night Racing on the West River. And I almost didn't make it! I was running quite late & the weather was wreaking havoc on the roads--dock time was 5:20 & I knew the boat might leave without me--that would totally suck! But I got there in time. It feels like forever but despite the ick rain & slightly "cool" temps, we had a great sail. Not counting being pushed off-course at a really good start under the chute (which I flew), & then as a result running aground because we ended up on the wrong side of the mark (not our fault). But I had a blast & the people on board were a lot of fun--especially the two younger dudes who'd never sailed or for that matter raced before. As we're getting ready for the race--getting sails up, looking at the course, etc., the boat Xing Fu is on sails by..he yells across at me, "You made it!" I hadn't noticed them going by because I was trying to get set for the jib so it was nice that he called out to me.
Here we were at the start & getting ready to round the mark--the skipper is telling the noobs what needed to happen and what they need to do to get ready for the windward tack & the douse. She says, "You'll need to blow the guy." The one guy responds, "I'll do a lot of things but blowing the guy is where I draw the line!" We just about lost it! In fact, I think I collapsed the chute because I was doubled-over laughing. Those of us who sail, occasionally take for granted that people know terms--we never think twice sometimes. But, what that really means is that one of the lines that is connected to the spinnaker needs to come off of the winch so that the sail can be taken down. After that, all terms became somewhat pornographic, at this point we really weren't racing anymore so it was a good practice & time to just enjoy a brisk sail. By the end of the race, it just felt like coming home again...being on the water just feels right.
After the race, everyone goes to dinner. Again, a lot of fun..Xing Fu & I met up afterward to talk about joining a boat for the NOODs next weekend. We will sail together on the last day of the 3-day races. Looking forward to it!
Like I said, it is great to be back out there racing & I agree with Xing Fu that it's also great when your "squeeze" also loves to sail...even coming home to watch a bunch of sail boats broaching on youtube...I'm still riding the adrenaline high!
