bilbobaggins
N/A
What d\'you make.....
...of this, which came my way recently?
"BEFORE THE RACE:
For days we have been planning race strategy based on NOAA's rapidly changing weather forecasting.
At first we were told spinnakers would not be allowed, but later learned this was a clever ploy by one of our competitors to keep us from using maximum sail, so then we searched most of a day to find ours (1000 sq ft) and discovered plenty of stuff we no longer needed and cou ld give away or toss out. Lighten ship!
There was great joy when it was finally found, but then NOAA claimed we might get a 20 kt reaching wind from the west! A screech for us in working sails!
ON RACE DAY
This morning our crew woke at various times depending on last night's beverage. Tea drinkers like us were up before dawn, beer drinkers a bit later, and one not until lunch! Mike and Cliff are building Tiki 46s and consulted Nev and Piero about plans to change the bow sprit making it longer. (Wharrams, Please send suggestions!)
The wind was around 12kt out of the west on the way to the start near Annapolis just south of the Bay Bridge and it was difficult to concenterate at the helm with so many beautiful boats around - many of them famous ones. Wrist watches were anxiously consulted, the start line located, and strong, but conflicting opinions expressed about line strategy! I think that we got all our emotional money's worth out of that start, what with the mounting tension, a sheet line catching up in a cleat, and finally having to put engines on in reverse to avoid crossing too soon, then shutting them off and lifting them quickly just in time. But we were among the very first to cross the start line legally and immediately the wind died dead. Sails on all the boats slatted and speed was around 1 kt over the ground of current only.
We had the "Virginia" with topsails flying on our port side, and "The Pride of Baltimore" on the other side which had the same plus a bow sprit from here to next week. "When and If" and a lovely Cherubini and an Alden crowded in with many more beauties nearby. One boat had a lively whistle tune going to encourage wind.
All was warm sunshine so we had lunch on deck in our deck chairs with steel drum music and Barefoot Man's Abaco songs, then Laura whistled Dixie and the wind came up on the nose (thanks Laura!) so 43 schooners tacked down the Bay in partly cloudy skies. Nev and I almost never tack, so we took lessons from our crew and it turns out Peace tacks nicely in skilled hands! The guys put Peace through her paces and we seemed to be doing well, usually tacking beside the "Virginia". Piero took photographs and we had lunch.
Then the wind rose steadily from the east until we were calling the forecaster "Don't NOAA" and Peace started to show some speed which delighted Cliff and Mike. Just after supper was served, the wind went around more westerly and strong and we were in shallow water about to tack and reduce sail. That's when I felt something wrong with the boat's rhythm and poked my head out of the galley and saw the Fore's gaff hanging down at
an odd angle and the sail all aflutter. I yelled and shown a flashlight at the trouble and the guys came running.
Now we had lots of trouble because the shallows were near on a lee shore, we could not tack with the drag of the flapping sail, a squall hit right then, and the sail just would not come down as we drifted into even shallower water where the waves became steeper. Something was jammed aloft and the noise of the sail overpowered all verbal communication while darkness made hand signals useless.
I got Nev and he started one engine while I took the helm and the guys struggled with the sail that refused all efforts to move either up or down and its reefing lines beat on them. Laura shown a light on the sail and I worried. Then Nev started the other engine and Peace fought the grasp of the shallows and steeper waves but could not get out. It made me so nervous, I called the "Norfolk Rebel" which is the schooner rigged tug that
shepherds all the other boats in. Stevie's deep voice was steadying until the wind paused a moment and we gradually clawed our way clear of the shallows. We headed across the Bay to the west, windward side and slipped along under shelter of high cliffs towards Solomon's about 17 miles to our south.
The squall brought COLD air (we heard that it brought 2 feet of snow to Buffalo that night). On my way to get my feather coat, I found the broken shackle lying on deck which had caused our trouble. Then I helmed while the others tidied up the sails a bit and got some much deserved rest. In Solomon's, two anchors were needed because that sail was still half way up and causing Peace to charge around in the 10 to 15 kts of wind. I waited until the wind dropped a bit before falling asleep with the GPS hand held - light on - by my bed. At dawn Nev and I rattled around making tea to wake the people until the lots were cast and Laura was chosen to be lifted in the bosun's chair to untangle the snarl up caused by the tangled block which she retrieved so the guys could finally furl that sail. We paid close attention to Mike's suggestion of using spectra line in place of all stainless shackles in the future. This is the second time a shackle aloft has burst on us, so Nev declared they must have been manufactured by the [--word removed--] Snitty Shackle Company of Shanghai.
With anchors up, course set, and a beautiful day ahead, the jokes and laughter made a merry background to what we now call Schooner Pancakes. Here is Parker's recipe: Make bluebery pancakes per usual. Spread with a mix of about one cup butter, one cup dark brown sugar, some cinnamon, and some rum. Then leave the rum botle out beside the tea tray to be added to
tea, cocoa, and coffee in scientific experimentation. We had a few keen scientists aboard, apparently. Right after breakfast they started the naps rotation.
We motored into Portsmouth Harbor with Nev and I working together as usual to identify the lights using paper and GPS charts independently to cross check each other. We anchored well after midnight in Willoughby Bay just outside Rebel Marine which is where the race organizers are based. The rum bottle came out again and we all soon rolled with laughter right into our bunks for a good sleep.
The next morning we drove to the race party where all the boats received plaques and we will glue the [--word removed--] snitty shackle to the bottom of ours and hang it in the galley......."
/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Well? Candidates for a literary award? Or a 'Darwin Award'....?
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
...of this, which came my way recently?
"BEFORE THE RACE:
For days we have been planning race strategy based on NOAA's rapidly changing weather forecasting.
At first we were told spinnakers would not be allowed, but later learned this was a clever ploy by one of our competitors to keep us from using maximum sail, so then we searched most of a day to find ours (1000 sq ft) and discovered plenty of stuff we no longer needed and cou ld give away or toss out. Lighten ship!
There was great joy when it was finally found, but then NOAA claimed we might get a 20 kt reaching wind from the west! A screech for us in working sails!
ON RACE DAY
This morning our crew woke at various times depending on last night's beverage. Tea drinkers like us were up before dawn, beer drinkers a bit later, and one not until lunch! Mike and Cliff are building Tiki 46s and consulted Nev and Piero about plans to change the bow sprit making it longer. (Wharrams, Please send suggestions!)
The wind was around 12kt out of the west on the way to the start near Annapolis just south of the Bay Bridge and it was difficult to concenterate at the helm with so many beautiful boats around - many of them famous ones. Wrist watches were anxiously consulted, the start line located, and strong, but conflicting opinions expressed about line strategy! I think that we got all our emotional money's worth out of that start, what with the mounting tension, a sheet line catching up in a cleat, and finally having to put engines on in reverse to avoid crossing too soon, then shutting them off and lifting them quickly just in time. But we were among the very first to cross the start line legally and immediately the wind died dead. Sails on all the boats slatted and speed was around 1 kt over the ground of current only.
We had the "Virginia" with topsails flying on our port side, and "The Pride of Baltimore" on the other side which had the same plus a bow sprit from here to next week. "When and If" and a lovely Cherubini and an Alden crowded in with many more beauties nearby. One boat had a lively whistle tune going to encourage wind.
All was warm sunshine so we had lunch on deck in our deck chairs with steel drum music and Barefoot Man's Abaco songs, then Laura whistled Dixie and the wind came up on the nose (thanks Laura!) so 43 schooners tacked down the Bay in partly cloudy skies. Nev and I almost never tack, so we took lessons from our crew and it turns out Peace tacks nicely in skilled hands! The guys put Peace through her paces and we seemed to be doing well, usually tacking beside the "Virginia". Piero took photographs and we had lunch.
Then the wind rose steadily from the east until we were calling the forecaster "Don't NOAA" and Peace started to show some speed which delighted Cliff and Mike. Just after supper was served, the wind went around more westerly and strong and we were in shallow water about to tack and reduce sail. That's when I felt something wrong with the boat's rhythm and poked my head out of the galley and saw the Fore's gaff hanging down at
an odd angle and the sail all aflutter. I yelled and shown a flashlight at the trouble and the guys came running.
Now we had lots of trouble because the shallows were near on a lee shore, we could not tack with the drag of the flapping sail, a squall hit right then, and the sail just would not come down as we drifted into even shallower water where the waves became steeper. Something was jammed aloft and the noise of the sail overpowered all verbal communication while darkness made hand signals useless.
I got Nev and he started one engine while I took the helm and the guys struggled with the sail that refused all efforts to move either up or down and its reefing lines beat on them. Laura shown a light on the sail and I worried. Then Nev started the other engine and Peace fought the grasp of the shallows and steeper waves but could not get out. It made me so nervous, I called the "Norfolk Rebel" which is the schooner rigged tug that
shepherds all the other boats in. Stevie's deep voice was steadying until the wind paused a moment and we gradually clawed our way clear of the shallows. We headed across the Bay to the west, windward side and slipped along under shelter of high cliffs towards Solomon's about 17 miles to our south.
The squall brought COLD air (we heard that it brought 2 feet of snow to Buffalo that night). On my way to get my feather coat, I found the broken shackle lying on deck which had caused our trouble. Then I helmed while the others tidied up the sails a bit and got some much deserved rest. In Solomon's, two anchors were needed because that sail was still half way up and causing Peace to charge around in the 10 to 15 kts of wind. I waited until the wind dropped a bit before falling asleep with the GPS hand held - light on - by my bed. At dawn Nev and I rattled around making tea to wake the people until the lots were cast and Laura was chosen to be lifted in the bosun's chair to untangle the snarl up caused by the tangled block which she retrieved so the guys could finally furl that sail. We paid close attention to Mike's suggestion of using spectra line in place of all stainless shackles in the future. This is the second time a shackle aloft has burst on us, so Nev declared they must have been manufactured by the [--word removed--] Snitty Shackle Company of Shanghai.
With anchors up, course set, and a beautiful day ahead, the jokes and laughter made a merry background to what we now call Schooner Pancakes. Here is Parker's recipe: Make bluebery pancakes per usual. Spread with a mix of about one cup butter, one cup dark brown sugar, some cinnamon, and some rum. Then leave the rum botle out beside the tea tray to be added to
tea, cocoa, and coffee in scientific experimentation. We had a few keen scientists aboard, apparently. Right after breakfast they started the naps rotation.
We motored into Portsmouth Harbor with Nev and I working together as usual to identify the lights using paper and GPS charts independently to cross check each other. We anchored well after midnight in Willoughby Bay just outside Rebel Marine which is where the race organizers are based. The rum bottle came out again and we all soon rolled with laughter right into our bunks for a good sleep.
The next morning we drove to the race party where all the boats received plaques and we will glue the [--word removed--] snitty shackle to the bottom of ours and hang it in the galley......."
/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Well? Candidates for a literary award? Or a 'Darwin Award'....?
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
