Well Damon, they predicted a blow today ant they got it. On the
committee boat we were measuring gusts to 31 knots and average wind
speed of 22! Wow – what an exciting day! If you came for racing this
was your day, or maybe not…
The signal boat with Eric and me on it pulled out around 9:30 a.m. and
the sea was already at 3 feet and breaking white caps all around us. We
set up a photo op for the press and started all 90 boats at the same
time. It was a beautiful sight until one Tiger mounted another in a
mating frenzy! At one point the crew of the bottom boat was literally
holding the hull of the top boat up so to prevent it from crashing down
on him. And we hadn’t even started racing yet!
We took the signal boat off shore about 3 miles to set up a course but
with the wind and the depth of the water couldn’t get the hook to set.
In a futile attempt to get one race off we set up a start line but
promptly drifted towards the pin boat and closed off the starting line.
The decision was made to pull up and move the course closer to shore.
We finally got the course set with the up wind mark 1.8 nautical miles
away. It was a fair distance but with the way the wind was building the
race officials felt the Tigers would be there in no time at all.
Carnage ensued with groups of boats going over as they all got hit with
guts at the same time. There were sometimes five and six boats over at
once, and the safety crews had their hands full as they raced to make
sure everyone was all right.
Being on the signal boat gave a great vantage point of the down wind
gate and we were treated to many near flips in today’s trying
conditions. Many teams suffered equipment failures with one team losing
their mast. Two dagger boards were found floating in the water,
hopefully they were returned to their owners. Others were injured
physically with a broken nose and twisted ankles being reported.
We got one race off and the wind continued to build to a point that the
Harbor Patrol came out to keep an eye on things. Many crew and skippers
were being separated from their boats and were being picked up by other
competitors. There were three official redress notices up for picking
up stranded crew. After the first few finishers crossed the line the
race officials decided to call it a day as the wind was still
increasing in velocity and the safety of the competitors was coming
into question.
Many boats were towed in and some even ended up on a southern beach
away from the venue just to pull down the jibs and secure the decks for
the ride home. Some boats waited on the beach for well over an hour for
the wind to subside (it didn’t) and to just catch their breath and
collect their thoughts before making the trip back.
Right now they are calling for 25-30 mph tonight with gusts to 50. All
the boats have been secured for the night and repairs have been made.
Tomorrow they are calling for a lighter wind, but it will still be 20
plus. It should make for an interesting day once again.
Still no money Damon, I am beginning to doubt your integrity. The
constant buzz that we have attained is starting to dull due to the fact
we are now drinking Thunderbird wine and my stomach just can’t handle
it. I am afraid that a champagne taste does not go well on a Boone’s
Farm budget. I think we may need to renegotiate our compensation
package when we are done here. Eric did get a good price for the
generator out of the motor home though.