Paul Whitesides relayed this video from the Sheriff's Cup.
Race from Charleston to the North Edisto River .
http://youtu.be/MKOjk0TqV9Q?hd=1
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sacrificing Chickens on the Southern Circuit
Southern Circuit, St. Pete, Saturday
Friday night spent some quality time in the St. Pete YC bar
with dark & stormy and mojito. St.Pete’s bar is hard to beat, a great watering hole after a long day on the water. The cold I picked up in Georgia is still going strong; my rough cough has a very anti social affect.
Saturday AM, the RC says we are looking at a day similar to Friday, hopefully without the long wait. Left the harbor in 10Kt. wind and after 2 general recalls we got a race
going in about 6 kt. We are getting good starts but cannot hold our line and are forced to tack. Very frustrated with our ability to point. Weather legs are 1 mile minimum,54 boats are racing. The fleet normally either works the right or left side going up the beat, the center is avoided by
most. Light air has limited the regatta to 2 races in two days. Our scores so far, 43 & 44.
Jack and I re-tuned the boat after racing today, sacrificed a chicken on the transom, burned some
incense and did a few tribal dances in the parking lot. The traditional Lightning Class banquet
dinner at SPYC is tonight. The winter championship at SPYC started in 1948 so this is the 65th. Becky and I enlisted the help of a bunch of lightning sailors at the Tiki bar on the lightning trivia quiz competition questionnaire and won for being close but not 100%. The help got no credit so we are now in hiding.
Hoping for better boat speed and pointing tomorrow.
Friday night spent some quality time in the St. Pete YC bar
with dark & stormy and mojito. St.Pete’s bar is hard to beat, a great watering hole after a long day on the water. The cold I picked up in Georgia is still going strong; my rough cough has a very anti social affect.
Saturday AM, the RC says we are looking at a day similar to Friday, hopefully without the long wait. Left the harbor in 10Kt. wind and after 2 general recalls we got a race
going in about 6 kt. We are getting good starts but cannot hold our line and are forced to tack. Very frustrated with our ability to point. Weather legs are 1 mile minimum,54 boats are racing. The fleet normally either works the right or left side going up the beat, the center is avoided by
most. Light air has limited the regatta to 2 races in two days. Our scores so far, 43 & 44.
Jack and I re-tuned the boat after racing today, sacrificed a chicken on the transom, burned some
incense and did a few tribal dances in the parking lot. The traditional Lightning Class banquet
dinner at SPYC is tonight. The winter championship at SPYC started in 1948 so this is the 65th. Becky and I enlisted the help of a bunch of lightning sailors at the Tiki bar on the lightning trivia quiz competition questionnaire and won for being close but not 100%. The help got no credit so we are now in hiding.
Hoping for better boat speed and pointing tomorrow.
Friday, March 16, 2012
TEAM SAWYER IN FLORIDA
JOHN SAWYER AND TEAM ARE DOING THE LAST 2 LEGS OF THE SOUTHERN CIRCUIT.
SOUNDS LIKE A CRAZY LEG 1 IN SAVANNAH
HERE'S JOHNNY
Southern Circuit 2012 Miami;
Unfortunately Jay has given Becky a new factoid for the back
of the boat “dummy with the stick”. Have not been in the Boat since November 2011
and we feel it. Jay agrees that the boat is more civil than the 5o5 except for the hiking. So far we have lost sunglasses, reading glasses and our room key, all of this is replaceable, no body damage.
We are trying to relax on this trip and split the drive to
Miami over two days. The rig is doing great, no problems on the road,
arrived in Miami late morning on Monday and joined the Lightning teams that
competed in Savannah. A few boats are in repair, bent spreaders, etc. Pam
Burke says it was gusty, several boats capsized , one mast broken. Coral Reef YC is a super host as always, a great location. Picked up Jay at the
airport and got some dinner at Berry’s, a open air bar / restaurant around the
corner from our hotel. It’s our favorite.
Tuesday: We needed to practice with Jay and were the first out on the water. Conditions are really good, 12 -17K out of the East to North East and predicted to hold for the two day we are here. 40 boats are sailing, lots of professional level sailors. Soon after the first start we discovered how poorly we were going in the chop. My old nemesis, choppy water and a bigger fleet that we see once a year, gave us lots of trouble. The top of the fleet however was generous and
after racing gave everyone a debriefing on what they did to be so fast. After 4 races we are 33rd.
Wednesday: Very similar conditions, more out of the North.
Today we focused more on trimming the main for speed sheeting in or out
just an inch or two to keep the boat tracking seemed to help.
Two events stand out from today.
1. Jay and I gave Becky a 10 for the reverse half gainer she did over the windward side during a tack. Becky only lost sunglasses, chap stick, room key, and the club bar charge card (yes we somehow had all this stuff on Becky) Talk about being kicked when your
down. The earrings and rings came through just fine.
2. The team from Columbia sails with a very nice girl who washed the boat deck, hardware etc. with amazing care. I suggested that my crew learn by example;
that worked like a charm. Must be a cultural thing.
After two more races we are 33rd. We feel pretty good about today, at times we
found great speed and pointing in chop and found some good lanes to work
with. Six different boats won a race, Greg Fisher & crew won
the regatta and did not win a race but sailed consistently in the top 10.
Jay is flying back tonight, Becky and I drive through
alligator alley to St Pete tomorrow.
SOUNDS LIKE A CRAZY LEG 1 IN SAVANNAH
HERE'S JOHNNY
Southern Circuit 2012 Miami;
Unfortunately Jay has given Becky a new factoid for the back
of the boat “dummy with the stick”. Have not been in the Boat since November 2011
and we feel it. Jay agrees that the boat is more civil than the 5o5 except for the hiking. So far we have lost sunglasses, reading glasses and our room key, all of this is replaceable, no body damage.
We are trying to relax on this trip and split the drive to
Miami over two days. The rig is doing great, no problems on the road,
arrived in Miami late morning on Monday and joined the Lightning teams that
competed in Savannah. A few boats are in repair, bent spreaders, etc. Pam
Burke says it was gusty, several boats capsized , one mast broken. Coral Reef YC is a super host as always, a great location. Picked up Jay at the
airport and got some dinner at Berry’s, a open air bar / restaurant around the
corner from our hotel. It’s our favorite.
Tuesday: We needed to practice with Jay and were the first out on the water. Conditions are really good, 12 -17K out of the East to North East and predicted to hold for the two day we are here. 40 boats are sailing, lots of professional level sailors. Soon after the first start we discovered how poorly we were going in the chop. My old nemesis, choppy water and a bigger fleet that we see once a year, gave us lots of trouble. The top of the fleet however was generous and
after racing gave everyone a debriefing on what they did to be so fast. After 4 races we are 33rd.
Wednesday: Very similar conditions, more out of the North.
Today we focused more on trimming the main for speed sheeting in or out
just an inch or two to keep the boat tracking seemed to help.
Two events stand out from today.
1. Jay and I gave Becky a 10 for the reverse half gainer she did over the windward side during a tack. Becky only lost sunglasses, chap stick, room key, and the club bar charge card (yes we somehow had all this stuff on Becky) Talk about being kicked when your
down. The earrings and rings came through just fine.
2. The team from Columbia sails with a very nice girl who washed the boat deck, hardware etc. with amazing care. I suggested that my crew learn by example;
that worked like a charm. Must be a cultural thing.
After two more races we are 33rd. We feel pretty good about today, at times we
found great speed and pointing in chop and found some good lanes to work
with. Six different boats won a race, Greg Fisher & crew won
the regatta and did not win a race but sailed consistently in the top 10.
Jay is flying back tonight, Becky and I drive through
alligator alley to St Pete tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)