Slip sliding away....
2004-05-20

Sorry for not having an entry yesterday. We had a major potential customer in all day and I was tied up in the finest dog and pony fashion. We not only managed to keep the dog from eating the pony poop, but it went well enough that they are expanding what they want us to sample by three or four times. Nice...

Business has been really slow and there is the talk of more lay offs. I'm safe, but I feel badly for my friends here and it turns the plant in such turmoil that I hope it doesn't happen. I just can't see how it won't.

As for Tuesdays bigh race, um, sigh.. It was really breezy and we were again short crewed. For a change we had enough talent and were just short of rail meat, so I thought we'd be OK. I was feeling a little mentally out of sorts so I had Martin read the course to me a few times so I could get it straight in my head.

We got into sequence and waited for our start. Bang and we were off. We had the second best start, slightly under the J-29 we needed to beat for first. The X we needed to beat for second was deep and never really came into play. Evil 42 was out there too, finally moving in the big breeze, a three boat race within a race.

The C&C is a great heavy air boat and we were right in our element with the new #2 up. We started to pull ahead and then I made a bone headed move. We were suppose to round the windward mark to starboard the first time and later to in the race, to port. I got them mixed up.

I took it in way too deep then noticed the other boats way above us. I rechecked with Martin, starboard. CRAP!!! We did a huge S turn, went from first to third and I was pissed at myself for such a stupid blunder, but not for long.

You can't stew over mistakes long in this game because while your head is busy, the other folks are cleaning your clock. I settled myself down, then settled the boat down and we went after the boats in front.

We reeled in the J-29 about halfway down the downwind leg. We rounded the mark second about 4 feet from the transome of Evil 42 and set off on the long reach out to the light. Evil gives me 13 seconds a mile so I was happy being right behind sitting in her quarterwake getting a free ride like a cyclist draftig behind a truck.

They wouldn't let us above them so we tried to pass below a few times but basicly, we just followed them along, never more than a boat behind and rounded the mark 1 - 2. The J-29 was falling back off the pace and the X was deep. We were looking good.

We hit the next mark with about 6 feet of seperation. Only one more up down and we'd have it locked. We split tacks to get clean air upwind and were gaining. I figured we'd have a shot at the gun. Never count your chickens...

I hear a strange noise. "Bobby, what was that?" "There's a big rip in the jib Ron." "How big, can we keep going?" "No, better take a look." I climbed down to take a peek and my heart dropped. The sail was split about a foot back from the luff from head to foot (a 48 or so foot tear).

We of course dropped it immediately, withdrew from the race and headed in. Our chance for the series win dashed. I called the sailmaker who appologized and promised we'd have it back by the weekend. I asked it he's supply a first place trophy too? He sounded as sad as we were that we lost in that way.

We did wind up second out of 12, not bad in all, and Summer series is out there waiting to be experienced.

Happy Thursday!

Ron

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