Approaching the Finish
June 25, 2014
Good morning sports fans-
GS2 and her fearless crew are actually approaching the finish line of the worlds longest race. OMG. Totally. 18 miles to the finish line and we actually have 7 knots of wind, which at this point feels like a frickin’ gale.
So at this point, with a few spare minutes in darkness before we engage the battle with the 50 other boats converging on the finish line, I thought it would be fun to come up with my Top Ten takeaways from this race:
- Getting to know the force of nature that is my co-skipper Rob Windsor- let me just tell you my friends, this man is a piece of work. A true FLID (frickin Long Island Dooshbag) and all of my lacrosse buddies from Long Island know I say that with full affection. Awesome sailor and great shipmate. Our first voyage together but hopefully not our last.
- Sailing in light wind is just plain stupid- ‘nuff said
- Sailing with good wind is a ton of fun and everyone should try it.
- Sailing offshore at night renews your sense of wonder in the universe;
- Irish Coffee is God
- After your Irish Coffee, take the opportunity to crap off the stern of your boat. As Austin Powers would say, “It’s really quite liberating baby yeah!!” Here are a few tips: take all your clothes off (night is preferred); assume a Greco-roman/ sumo squatting position; stick your butt out over the transom and heave a mighty sigh; deliver your gift to King Neptune; attend to your toilette with some baby wipes; Life is Good
- Watch “Talledega Nights - The Legend of Ricky Bobby” the night before the race for inspiration and then say all the best lines 100 times to your co-skipper.
- Double-handed sailing is where its at. We have sailed past these big boats with a dozen people perched on the rail and they probably haven’t left the rail for most of the race. Huh? At least after 50 years on the planet I am self-aware enough to know that an anti-social asshole of my caliber who is known not to play well with others in confined areas for extended periods has no business on a big boat going to Bermuda with 20 of my closest friends.
- Try your best to break your boat, so that you and your co-skipper can fix it. Very bonding. Use as many tools, glue and duct tape as possible and then don’t clean up. It’s a guy thing.
- Have an understanding wife... this probably should have been at the top of the list. As mine waits for me in Bermuda, I thank her for putting up with me.
So, there you have it. I’m sure there are quite a few we missed, but we will have to save those for another day. Back to the business of actually finishing this race after 5 days of trying.
Bermuda Harbor Radio - Bermuda Harbor Radio - Bermuda Harbor Radio -
Standing by on VHF 16 and 27 for further transmission-
Joe
Race Tracker available here:
http://pantaenius.us/en/american-yacht-insurance/newport-bermuda-race/live-race-tracking.html
