I had the privilege to race at the Fort Worth Boat Club today. Light winds and long courses make for tactically difficult sailing. Couple that with an almost all rookie crew against a very talented set of experienced competitor boats and you have a phenomena bowman like to call Emergency Management!
I raced on a well seasoned boat named "Beauty" a classic J105. Aged sails and crew enthusiastic to get out on the water and battle like gladiators.
We get to the boat late like most of the team to find out that the battery was dead so we would have to engine to get out of the marina or to get us back in the slip.
Setting up the bow, running spinnaker sheets and running the tapes of the kite below deck reminded me of how little "additional" work I do on my regular crew.
I take for granted that on Second Star I show up for a very specialized job and set of tasks and how little I get involved with the ancillary tasks that others on the team complete.
With a crew of six for this adventure everyone was doing two or more jobs. I was doing sail repair on a jib, packing the chute for an out of hatch launch and double checking my work and the work of those around me.
Without the routine of the boat I kept finding myself asking "am I forgetting something?" looking back over my work looking for the one crossed line that would spell disaster for the entire team and lose the race for us.
Confident that the "kite would fly on cue" I proceeded to "gear up" and mentally prepare myself for whatever requests or commands that would come from the afterguard.
After a quick tow to the battle ground we found ourself in sequence with no time to practice. Since the battery was dead we would have no instruments but the sailing watch on my wrist.
Getting to the line late we started odd on a port tack dead last. We seemed to have favorable winds and the rest of the fleet soon followed. Moving upwind we found ourselves being very competitive especially since our band of merry men and women didn't know what course was called or where the weather mark was.
This lack of basic information didn't seem to bother the crew as we made trees on the fleet and positioned ourselves in the front of the pack. Seeing an old friend driving a competitive boat we exchanged happy salutations while we came up with our sail plan.
Watching the competitive boat we found our mark and set up for the first set of our spinnaker. After rounding the mark the kite filled flawlessly and we made our downwind run.
With each jibe and set/douse we found ourselves learning each others strengths and weaknesses on the fly and during our battle. Each emergency brought it's own set of solutions and penalties. I kept asking myself so "how did I get to the pointy end of the boat?"
I se to always find myself in exciting roles when sailing. My lightweight (under 165lbs) relatively good strength and stamina coupled with I will die trying speed has placed me on the bow along with all of my crazy cousins that live life in the fast lane on the pointy end of the boat.
Bowman are a crazy lot that don't mind extreme pain and fatigue and seem to thrive on "emergency management."
It is my contention that the only position crazier than the bow is the helmsman who drives the large boat into crowed places with others just as driven and crazed to win as he. Typically this is the owner of the boat as he has to write the checks to pay for all the damage he does by putting his (or someone else's) asset at grave risk. (Or the loved one that has to afford his drug of choice, in this case competitive boat racing!)
In the end all of the strategy and gambling on the wind and his crew we ended up finishing a solid third place.
Afterwards we sailed back into the slip a feat of worthy mention and proceeded to put up our weapon so we could partake in the ritual that all racers love! This of course is the awards and serious drinking that occurs immediately afterwards.
Now a bit beaten up, bruised and made alive I remember why I do this at all. I do it for the teamwork and the emergency management that earns me a place on future rides to another battleground.
We are like mercenaries that are always looking for a war to fight. When no war is available we make up war games to practice our wears and challenge our tactics against our own to see who is ready for the next event.
Pirate Mike reporting for duty sir; where do you need me to go!
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Location:Eagle Mountain Lake
