I look back to the CVRDA Nationals as a weekend in boat heaven: the people, the boats, the encounters, the activities, the setting, the weather, the club (Bough Beech sailing club & staff), name it it was there.
Many highlights:
– Saturday afternoon Peter and me planing on a broad reach with gusts coming in pushing us even faster as if we’d hit a invisible turbo button.
– Sunday morning sailing with a fleet of racers heading West towards the first mark and me heading East to make sure not to hinder them. I wanted to witness a race on the water first before I participated.
– Sunday afternoon racing and finding out afterwards I didn’t start or finish at all despite sailing all afternoon, must sharpen my understanding of racing formalities (and learn to sail)
– Monday morning sailing along with a BBSC sailing club member Minisail enthusiast (in a Lazer) showing and telling me how to sail the Sprite properly when reaching. Thank you Sir if you read.
– Optimistic Dean with his yellow Monaco and straw hat who had to come ashore after every 30 minutes to drain his hull, but kept on sailing all weekend long. More so by Monday afternoon he was getting the hang of it and was trying to find out how a completely immerged hull would sail. Well it didn’t and sunk but the magnificent crew of BBSC towed the yellow submarine the last 10 meters to shore.
– Peter who was determined to recreate the Minisail roll around the mast reefing trick. With success. He took the time afterwards to rig and photograph every step.
– Hearing and seeing David passing me by in a fountain of water.
– Observing Charley Whelhan in his father’s (Rupert) Minisail getting out of trouble all by himself with a rudder fail in the middle of the pond and see him continue the race (monday).
It wasn’t about Minisails or sailing only:
– David Argles got up an hour earlier each morning to cook us a complete English breakfast, much appreciated David.
– Discovering a left behind Tabur 320 in the hedge.
– My neighbor being J.P. Freeman a wooden boat builder who has built (I lost count how many) by far anything you’d imagine. How I liked chatting with him.
– The “laid-back attitude” (as Ed Bremmer calls it) not at least toward racing. I remember asking are you going out racing? And answers varied like: no not now, I’ll see, maybe for a while, Yes but I missed the briefing, I should start rigging up now do I?, etc.
– Reading the manual that came with Tom’s new tent, pegs and sticks lying around us.
– The warm hospitality from the BBSC staff.
Forgot to ask David and Peter to have a sail with their boats, must remember that for next time.
Great weekend..
Building a wooden Minisail 