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wind spankn'

From: Sarah
Activity_Date: Sunday
Remote Name: 207.154.99.100

Comments

Tom, glad to hear you are ok!

I was on the water for another season opening sailing race off of the harbor. It began so light a wind that we had to postpone the race because many of us could not get to the starting line in time!

We tacked back into the wind several times as it vasillated between SE and NW. Then once the race started we were caught in a dead zone behind the start line--then WHAM! Suddenly we were donning our clothes and rubber pants with everyone rigged for light winds(the boats were hazardly overpowered). >=) We did exciting things like nearly having our captain jump overboard to assist an older man capsized off his Laser, surfing the swells on the downward legs(we did pass 5 boats doing this technique+pumping the sail), nearly rolling our J-24(with a full crew of 5) a couple of times, we also snapped our outhaul(a cable that holds and controls tension on the main sail) just after the start line of the 2nd race!! Remarkably we sailed on with a flapping main and just a blade-jib and scrambled together a rope and lashed the main down all the while careening directly into the waves...and were able to finish the race! There were 3 races, but we called it after #2 because we were spent. Back in the harbor wind puffs caused the sand from the beach dregging to lift clouds of sand to over 3 feet high then the puffs would smack us and send us scrambling up the deck to balance the boat.

We guesstimate 25 mph off-shore winds. Possibly gusting higher. The thought of being in the air during that gives me the shudders!

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