SIDE VIEW
First, my apologies for my absence at the May meeting. Duty called to the Great White North, and when the paycheck summons, so goeth the debt-ridden sailor. From what feedback I’ve received thus far, the video was acceptable, and so far, the waiting list to borrow it is growing daily. Hmm, I’ll have to get with John and see..... Talk to me about it after the June meeting.
Speaking of the June meeting, in response to a specific request, there will be a general discussion of starting tactics. This one is for the racers. To be honest, it’s for those folks that wish to race but are intimidated by the cluster of boats. I recall at the last Adopt-a-Racer, the question was raised as to how to start a race, and as I recall, the answer was never given. I thought back to the previous Adopt-a-Racer, and there again was no information given as what to do in starting a race.
Now, as you KNOW, most of the ‘hard core’ racers will be reluctant in disclosing their trade secrets of starting. Therefore this will be more of a ‘chalk talk’ with accompanying discussion. There will be some books available for your perusal (sorry, no loaners), and if you’re interested, you can jot down the author, title, publisher, etc...... I know of one ex-Cape Dory sailor that will be more than happy to discuss his haphazard starting techniques, even though he knows all the text book approaches. It should be an interesting and lively discussion, plan on joining in.
In response to the friendly queries, LAUREL ANN is still slip-bound with steering deficiencies. Seems that during the Fernandina Pound To Windward, a sail bag shifted and leaned into some cable conduits. That’s okay, but the little nylon fittings used to maintain the fair lead into the conduits couldn’t take the strain and cracked. Right now, she can steer, but seeing the angle that the conduits are taking, I’ve decided to lock her down until I can remedy the situation. That may take some doing. I’ve got the replacement nylon (or whatever) do-hickeys, but until I can come up with a part that Edson doesn’t make, it won’t do any good to replace them as I’d be buying a new pair every time I hit some heavy weather. However, I’ve got a plan...... We should be ready to rock and roll (or is that pitch and roll) by the time of the July 4 raftup, so look for us there...
Speaking of heavy weather, the recent St. Augustine Race showed us how fickle nature can be. After hours of slogging to weather, during which some boats wisely turned back and others broke parts (Nice jury-rig, Forrest, but I thought you were supposed to have a spare on board.......), the fleet was looking forward to getting in the inlet into some peaceful conditions. For those that arrived at the city docks, they found a stiff tide running with the wind that was crossing the dock at an angle. We had some uneventful dockings, a couple of controlled crashes, one crash and burn, and several EXCELLENT dockings. I’m happy to report in all that there were no injuries, and the loss of equipment due to docking was limited to the lid of a stern rail BBQ.
On behalf of the docking committee, we wish to express appreciation to the boundless enthusiasm and commitment to work with the instructions given us by the City Dockmaster, restrictive as they may have been at the time. Next year, we’ll work for a little more latitude in the placing of boats relative to wind and water.