Our GPS Track...This is how Winning is DONE!

So after a hiatus from sailing, we went back out on the water.  It had been a while since we last raced Speedy.  We had some new crew on the boat, and some seasoned.  Bryan is back from Kuwait and he stepped on to race.  This was Lisa’s first time on Speedy, so she was learning how everything worked.

So Saturday night, we (JoJo, Bryan, and I) were out a bit late at the Dubliner.  We did win some cool ass hats though from the Jameson Girls.  WoooHooooo…..I love me some free Shwag!  We did a whole “Team Hat” thing…the girls wore the newly acquired Jameson hats, while Bryan and I took on the military hats he brought back from Kuwait.  We looked good.  But how were we going to sail?

We loaded up Speedy and headed north to play with the Bayview kids.  Did I mention that there was some talk between my crew and Swale’s?  Well…there was a wager made, and there was a round of beers at stake.

The race started and Swale had about a 10 minute head start…we were going to have to work hard to get that boat back in our sights.  The hangover was not helping.  The wind was neither.  We broke off the fleet and headed to the west side of the lake looking to catch a wind-line. We had to get the binoculars out to see Swale…that’s how far ahead of us they were.   There was some real light southern wind.  At times, we were having a dance Party on the deck.  I might have even Moooooned Swale….I can’t say for sure!

They were ahead.  We were trying hard to catch them and the wind-line we thought we saw on the west shore.  Luckily for us, we got a hold of the wind line and headed towards the mark.  And we were going FAST!  By the time we got to the mark, we could see the whole fleet in out proverbial rear view mirror.  we had given every boat but one time….and now we were up front.  Hell YA!  We still have it.  We can rock out a boat race even hung over.

We round the mark.  We hoist the spinnaker.  We now have a spinnaker in the water.  All of a sudden the wind has DIED!  The fleet is slowly making up ground.  We can almost make out faces on Swale.  We take down the chute…we put up the Ginny.  What do you know, we are moving again.  That was a 180 degree wind shift right at the mark.  WOW.  So we are headed toward the finish when the wind shifts again.  It forces us to change sails once again,  Spinnaker is back up and now we are on a tight reach…but we are hauling ass.

We finish.  In First.  Time to collect our winnings, but first we take the boat back to RCYC and put her up.  Then we head to Flying Saucer.  I love nothing more than a nice cold FREE Guinness…Good Try Swale, Better Luck Next Time.

The plan was to take some of Mandy’s old friends out for a cruise to see if they enjoyed the whole sailing thing. We all met at th club and proceeded to go sailing.  It was Mandy, her old friends and their two boys, their cousins from out of town, and their two kidos…and me.  We had 10 on the boat…I was not sure that many could fit.

Wind was great going out and we cruised the lake just flying the main.  We then headed back and noticed that the wind was a bit light, so we put up the 100.  It got us moving…then the wind really died.  We took down the 100 and put up the 155.

Then the wind really died.  We were just sitting there…I am not sure what happened, all day the wind was coming from the north and then all of a sudden the wind started to come in from the south.  And I mean it started to BLOW! Took down the Genny…and tried to make it back to the club with the main.  And if I had my choice we would have reefed that too!  I mean it was blowing…

Appearently the club memebers could see what was happening  and were taking bets on whether we could make it back safely.  WE DID…got the boat tied up and waited for what was to be a KILLER storm that was coming through.

Mandy’s friends escaped to the safety of their cars and headed home.  The regular crew (Dwight, Jamie, Mandy, and Sheryl) decided to wait out the storm to help me put back the boat.  Richy Rich, his new GF Lyn, and her mother were there too.  We all headed into the club and found out that the race had been postponed.

I was not giving up though.  Afterall, it is TEXAS!  Wait 20 minutes and the weather will change!  So it took a little over 20 minutes, but the storm went away…we headed to the boat to drink all the booze we had brought.

I think we were over compensating since the last couple of weeks we stated to run a bit short at the end of the night.  I think there was about 4 or 5 cases of beer…thats a lot of beer for what was to be a 3 hour cruise…even for 8 people!

Mark (barking fish) also joined us at the boat, and we had Yummy Chicken salad that Mandy made while drinking the beer!  All of a sudden we looked up and the sky was Sunny!  Let’s GO people…we rigged the boat and went out for our booze cruise and race…the race committe canceled the race, but we still had our BC…

We even picked up Shannon from Chandliers…Mark brought in the boat to the dock, and she jumped right in…we didn’t even stop! Wooooohoooooooooo….

We proceeded to lose the new pee bucket Sheryl had bought…that’s two in two weeks…

As we headed home, the wind died and we didn’t get back to RCYC till 1 in the morning.  Left the boat in the water…and headed home.  I had been at the club since 3 in the afternoon.  I was DONE!

Ok…Dwight and I took pics and they are now up at the new Picasa Album for the boat…the address is http://pics.MySpeedster.INFO

This was the first time Patrick and Carrie had ever been on a boat, and as far as their experience racing the boat, I don’t think they will be coming back.  Patrick got to fly the chute, I am not sure that was his “thing”.  Carrie got bruises all over  her bottom from the toe rails….I might have forgotten to mention that would happen.  They were troopers.  And I really think that they enjoyed the Booze Cruise.

The Boooooze Cruise is what it was all about.  After the race we flew the spin to the power station and watched the sun come down.   STUNNING!!!  We had drinks and enjoyed the music coming out of the speakers.  We sailed…Just sailed, with no where to go, and no worries.  We had wine, and beer, and great company.  We had it all.

Finally came back to the club around 10 and put her back on the trailer and headed to Snuffers….it was such a chill and fun night.  Dwight, as usual took the fantastic pics!  Click here for the Album….

Wouldn’t you know it, after we got her on the trailer, the lake filled with wind…SOB!

As an exercise we did rig up the boat and headed out.  We get out there, and there is a breeze.  We get to the start and Woody is calling tactics.  He was right on, we get a great start and squeeze past Giranimo.  We get on a port tack and head towards Terry Point…I am really starting to dig racing in light wind.  There is so much more finesse to handling the helm.  Careful and purposeful movements, the weight shifts on the boat are immediately recognized.

We were headed a little too much toward the middle of the lake.  I was getting worried that we were just separating too much from the rest of the fleet.  Woody made me keep my course.  That was our saving grace.  The Mark was no where near terry point, rather it was closer to the power plant.  We were headed right for it.  We even had some room to head down and get some speed.

About 300 yards to the mark; Woody, who has only known me for a couple of months, made the most  insightful comment ever.  I guess he could either see or feel that I was getting anxious and told me to chill out.  He further commented that we were on track for the first 2/3 of the race and that I need to keep from losing my concentration now.  I was still anxious.  I just wanted to do something.  We had been on the same tack for almost an hour now.

We approached the mark and were about to round it when we noticed that S-Cape and Progh’s Shooting Star were headed toward the damn.  The two Melges rounded the mark and we didn’t think we could catch them by following them.  We stayed on our tack for another couple hundred yards and tacked on the same line as S-Cape and Shooting Star. That was obviously the right decision.  We beat Barking Fish and Devil Dog in.

We got a 7th, not too bad.  I will take that any day competing against these sailors on light wind.

There are some pictures coming soon….

Hotsy Totsy and Speedster, pic from Orion.

Last weekend we participated in the first Founders Regatta at RCYC celebrating the club’s 40th anniversary.  I was very pleased to see the number of boats involved from all across the lake.  We had racers competing from Chandler’s Landing  Yacht Club as well as BayView Yacht Club.

Friday started with a thorough cleaning of the boat and some small minor repairs.  The cleaning lasted right up to the start of the first race.  (MENTAL NOTE: thorough cleanings should be done AFTER the regatta.)  Saturday I had the pleasure of having Jonesy and the Pussycats (Mandy and Sandra), along with Brad (from Austin Yacht Club) as crew.

Although most of the crew had hardly ever raced on Speedster, I think we did good.  My PINCHING didn’t exactly help our cause.  We got a second, and a fourth for the two races.  Storm came in, we fled to the club.

Sunday, we were lucky to have Peter and Virginia come in and help out on the boat. Dwight also joined the crew to help out.  Thank god he did.  Peter almost had a couple of heart attacks trying to bring in that big old 155 Genoa. I bumped into Barking Fish/king Fish before the start of a race.  Learned that both boats need not close one gap.

Speaking of learning…Brad’s advise and teaching was invaluable.  I learned more about racing in the two days Brad was on the boat than I had ever known.   Wind was good, weather was good, and I think we made a vast improvement as the day went on. Even though my pinching problem was a bit more under control, I started to over rotate during tacks.  I don’t think Brad liked that, and more than once I was reminded of that.

Hotsy Totsy gave us hell.  It was back and forth with those guys.  Even though we give them a few seconds, they were all over us.  Around every mark, at every start, every finish, we were only seconds apart.  That was the highlight of this weekend.

We actually got three races in on Sunday and by the last race we were a well oiled machine, with two fourths and a second, we finished the regatta in 3rd (out of 4)…but I was OK with that, even though the biggest reason was my driving.  I need a whole lot of practice.

Speaking of  practice, I am trying to get together a crew to do the Saturday Damn Series.  It starts around 12 and we cruise up and down the lake in a very leisurely pace.  If anyone is interested, please let me know.

Ok, so Virginia took a ton of pictures…Click Here

Rush Creek is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and so are having a two day Regatta. You all are welcome to come join the celebration whether both days or one. Please send me an email letting me know if you want are going to join us.  For all the details please read/download the Notice of Race…

Click here for the Notice of Race.