Ok just to not let the fans and those that can't stand me down.....

Here is what i really have to say....who woulda thunk it two months ago...that we would even have a boat to sail nevertheless a regatta....

To those who are about to say...YOU GOT A 6th....well we didn't we dropped out...it does seem if you scream and bark at your skipper enough it is possible to give him a heart attack....or at least severe chest pains...so to keep from having to throw his lifeless body from side to side on every tack (also a rules problem with moving ballast...) we decided to take him to the dock....then we set to the task of going back to racing....(we thought of doing our own version of weekend at Bernies...but racin with Merlin just didn't have the right ring to it)

We lost untold time and got back just as the last boat in our class went around the leeward mark....from there we passed a few and it seems in the spirit of things the RC scored us anyway...we really should have asked for redress but then we would have screwed up all the free time we had to go and drink and enjoy the party...

We did win the bar race as each lap was completed by getting back in line for TWO more drinks...if only i had three hands instead of three legs....OOpppsss

SO the final word on this is Our skipper is alive and will come to do battle again, we did do at least on full round of the bouy's,

It was amazing to see so many smiles and people truly enjoying the beautiful day even though they were in the lawn of burned down and storm ravaged club, that they had to drive by their own or other peoples boats still on the high and dry...YET there we all were Sailing, Racing, Lying about the race, Sharing both happy and sad stories......whether you were a SYC NOYC or any other YC...(CSA)...PHRF, OD, Power boater, Chicken Eater....for a short period of time on a beautiful day we were all just SAILORS.....

DOG GONE

PS...I was standing there when a thought hit me...after all these years CSA can go to the Liptons as now there seems to be more associate member clubs then member clubs...BY DEFINITION....and they seem to be planning to race anyway...now if we could just find our scot..just something to go..MMMMmmmm about