Training up the new racing crew
First Race : Oakland Yacht Club Sunday Brunch
series.
(For beginners)
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Oh boy, the big day arrives! Will we be up to the
challenge?
Its pouring down rain but that's ok. Being sailors, we
have foul weather gear, we'll be toasty warm! The hearty
crew was Andy, Andy, Tim, Karl & myself.
This is Andy & Andy the grinders. That's me in the
back doing the "Drive with your knees and run the main with
your hands" deal. I find myself running the boat a lot like
this. I'd hate to see how I'd have to run a wheel steered
machine.
Having grinders called Andy & Andy is driving me
completely batty! I yell Andy! And either get the wrong one
or both. Its worse when I yell an instruction with it like
"ANDY!! LET GO OF THAT LINE!!" And both or the
wrong one lets go.. Maybe if I painted numbers on their
backs? But then they'd be lookin' over their shoulders all
of the time trying to remember what number they are. Donno'
I'm working on it.
That and the spinnaker sheets keep falling overboard and
quietly running out. The retrieval system broke and is like
a giant spider's web to run though on tacks..
Like I tell all whiners but myself; "An excuse is as
good as a win." I got enough to make it though a
regatta!
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We didn't have a lot of time for takin' snapshots of the
competition. Here's a cute little Capri 25? I think that's
what it was. They were the only ones that waved at us. I
coveted his sails.
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Oh ohh... the start line. The blue boat on the right, is
an Express 37 they rate the same as us PHRF 72. This is
right before we swing into line and do the start. You can
see the orange Ball. The start is between the ball and shore
on the right. I should be nest to the blue boat,we should be
closer, we should be ready, I should wake up.
Yes I did poorly on the start. Aggression wasn't on the
menu today. Kinda' glad 'cause Its been a long time since I
drove a start. I foresee I'm going to mess up the start next
race too.
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There are more pictures but they're in Tim's camera. We'll have to
nudge Time a little so we can get a look at them. But, how did the
race go? Maybe its better there's no pictures? Le'see.. Blew the
start, tacked into a wind line that turned out to be a rain line,
over stood the first mark. Attempted to pop the chute to
weather...
Oh! Almost hit a docked boat! Really that would have been just
horrible. I saw the dock, and saw boats tied up there. I love cuttin'
close to the docks. So I'm gettin' close and one of the Andy's goes
"You see that boat?" Of course I see it, I'm always doin' the dock
thing. Then I'm hearing "Jim, your getting really close!"
They're always nervous ain't they? That's about when I saw that there
was another boat behind the one I was watching at
hidden under the chute., Oh NO!!! GYBE!! NOW!! And we missed
it.. I left a piece of my ego there as a reminder to those who
follow.
The race was kinda' a blur with a lot of confused yelling, from
me. I got so frustrated trying to keep the Andy's straight that I
started whacking them on the head before yelling at them. Just to
make sure they knew which one I was yelling at. No wonder no one
would wave at us. We probably looked like the Marx brothers going to
sea or something.
Did we win? 'Come on! We were doing good just to finish, not hit
anything and not sink the poor boat. No, we lost. Out of 4 boats in
our class we came in 3rd. And that in itself was a shock to all of
us. Maybe that other poor guy left his sails on shore? Donno'.
But the crew has been blooded, as they say. Now they have some
idea about what this is all about. Suddenly knowing how to gybe in a
hurry means something. Next race, just you wait!
Well, if I still have a crew by then that is. :)
Oh, and them fancy once piece Henry Lloyd foulies I wear? I was
soaked to the skin with rainwater. I guess rain water is thinner than
sea water? Something like that. Can't be that they are too old to do
any good anymore.
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No Tomorrows
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