The day was not as warm as expected, or as humid, but it was much windier and the gusts kept the racing very interesting.

It’s true that the wind was fairly heavy/gusty, but that kind’a glosses over the fact that there were “patches” of dead space where you would go screaming along and then just stop, with sails flapping.  Somewhat reminiscent of the Star Trek movies when the spaceships would come out of warp speed and seem to just stop.  Then you watch to see what happens to the rest of the fleet.  Sometimes everyone just stops all around you OR everyone just sails around you while you try and figure out why they have wind and you don’t.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not really complaining.  The day before some of us tried to sail at a pond where there was virtually no wind.  So, if I have to choose, I’ll take crazy wind.

Herb Dreher was able to navigate his IOM through the fickle winds to top the IOM skippers, and I was able to keep my US1M Meerkat floating well enough to keep ahead of the other US1M skippers.

One of these days I must figure out where the Meerkat is taking on water.  I’ve have tried in the past, but unsuccessfully.  It’s not on the verge of sinking, but I must drain the water out  every 4 or 5 races…annoying.

Cliff Martin, Commodore