Racing

I started racing Fearless sooner than I really meant to--got my arm twisted into participating in the Centerboard Regatta in June 2003 (after all, it's only once a year). I had done a beer can race or two before that. Our performance was highly consistent--we finished DFL (technical sailing abbreviation for dead last) in all of the races, both boat-to-boat and on corrected time. The high point was taking off my hat, after we got back to shore and put the boat on the trailer, and discovering that I was bleeding from a wound incurred in an accidental jibe while trying (unsuccessfully) to hoist the spinnaker.

Things got somewhat better after that, fortunately. 2003 was also the first year of the Texas Centerboard Circuit. I only participated in the races that were at my club--thought about going to Wurstfest to race another Harpoon, but didn't have crew and wimped out. Went down and hung out anyway, and they had a spectator boat and everything.

In 2004, we did start traveling to out-of-town circuit stops, thanks to my brother and his Subaru Forester. Unfortunately, by the end of the season it needed a new clutch. Using the time-honored technique of showing up at a lot of regattas, including some with a really low turnout, we managed a third-place finish on the circuit.

Did seven regattas in 2005, one practice regatta and six circuit stops, but only raced in the spring and fall series. I was out of town a lot racing OPB. My Corolla made its highway towing debut returning from one of the regattas at Stillhouse Hollow, but mostly I relied on my crew for boat transportation to the four out-of-town events. That worked really well, because then I had my car (with its automatic transmission) there for the launching and retrieving, and it also works well for transporting sails and stuff. Sleeping in it is not an option, though.

The fourth season got off to an inauspicious start with a fourth-place finish in the one race we got in on Opening Day. The wind died, allowing two Sunfish to catch and pass us on the final upwind/downwind leg. Good to be back racing, though. The second weekend of the Spring Series went much the same, only with a lot more wind.