That being said, my week of vacation was FUCKING RAD!!! I took off Friday July 13th and was gone the entire week following. Not only did I not have to attend my boring ho-hum-doldrum work, I spent 90% of the time on/near and/or around a boat. This year my brother took his FLYING TIGER 10 up to Whidbey Island Race Week. It is fondly referred to as "Adult Summer Camp." It was sooooo badass. Most of our crew had been 1 or more times in previous years and always talk about how rad the entire experience is. When my brother finally committed to taking the boat up and assembled the crew I was out of my mind with excitement.
WIRW is a Sailing Extravaganza with over 100 boats competing in 11 different fleets; it is the place to be the third week in July. Hosted by the Oak Harbor Yacht Club; Skippers and their crew assemble in the adjacent parking lot on the nearby Naval facility for a week long regatta with tent camping and cold showers that people pay $.25 per 2 minutes to take. I could gloss over the entire week, but no, I will list every damned detail.
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| Ready to Rock |
Friday the 13th I woke my ass up and showered and got the last of my junk together, helped my brother pack the truck and hook up the boat while we waited for the other 2 peeps that were riding along! I love love love doing boatwork with my brother, he is always teaching me something and I fucking love that. They arrived, we climbed in the truck and off we went. Stopped twice to check on the boat and evacuate our bladders, but otherwise a rather uneventful 5+ hour drive from SE Portland to Whidbey Island, WA.
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| Mast Raised with a "Custom" Gin Pole |
It was not the nicest of days, warm-ish. It rained randomly, spilled some of that mist crap that makes me blink like a crazy person, and then it poured…While we used the Aluminum Gin Pole my brother built to hoist the mast lightning and thunder were flashing and crashing around us. I love lightning. I would add a photo if it wasn’t so elusive. We got the mast up and put the boat in the slip just in time for one of the coolest sunsets I have ever seen; bright purple/pink/orange with lightning in the clouds around it. It was SA-WEEEET.
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| This was Real. Plus Lightning |
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| The start of our camp... |
The 4 of us grabbed dinner and then went back to our camp and slept! Saturday we woke up and travelled to Coupeville, WA for breakfast. The Knead and Feed; a really cute bakery/restaurant with small tables around the perimeter and a large community table in the middle. There was a short wait, so they offered to call us when space opened. We milled around in the local famers’ market just up the street even though they didn’t officially open until 10am.
The Kneed and Feed had zero vegan options, everything contained eggs and milk. So I ordered the omelet with the most veggies (that I verified were cooked in olive oil) sans eggs. Sounds weird, I’m sure the staff was like, “Um What?” but they brought it, and it was reallllly good. Yeah, yeah, “How can you say a bunch of sautéed vegetables were good?” They just were. They were hot and hit the spot. It came with a side of fruit. I’m a slut for fruit salad, unless it full of honey dew…Maybe that makes me a fruit racist…I don’t care, honey dew is NOT good.
Saturday shaped up to be beautiful! I slathered myself with sunblock and we headed down to the boat to hook the boom on, put on the lower stays, run lines, wash the deck, and just get organized for the next 6 days of sailing madness! We got everything run and ready, a few more people from our crew showed up and we were ready to rock while simultaneously rolling.
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| So Rad. |
Sunday was the day for practice! The crew was ready and we went out in the foggy, rainy, not so cold weather to make sure everything was tuned and orient ourselves in our new surroundings. The wind blew. The boat moved. Our sets, jibes, douses, and overall performance was on point.
I walked away from the boat energized and fumped (*Fucking Pumped*) for the following day. On the way back in from the Cove we hoisted a surprise battle flag that the crew had been scheming to give to my brother (the Skipper) as a thank you for all of his time and efforts and the opportunity to sail on one of the most bad ass boats around. He was stoked. We also got hoodies; same logo as the flag. (A.K.A. Unstoppably awesome.) Sunday made it seem like the rest of the week could go only one way: In our favor.
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| Skipper Gift and Super 30 Fleet Flag |
Monday was slow. Wind was light; nothing like the day before. We finished with a 4th and an 8th. People go on talking and making excuses (some valid, others complete bullshit) about our performance…The reality is we were all hyped and nervous. We did not do well in the light wind and our tactics were reactions to the moves of other boats. I’m of the mind that the actions of others should be taken into consideration, but similarly our skills and abilities are on par with the best of the fleet and therefore should be at the forefront of our strategy. We went back to camp disappointed, but not disheartened.
No matter what the results we had to eat. So the other vegan crew stirred up some rotini noodles with chicken style meat-less strips, marinara with peppers and mushrooms over a bit of lettuce for a tasty “bowl.” Just because we are living in a refugee style camp doesn’t mean we have to eat like it… One of the boats in the Super 30 Fleet hosted a party at their rental house across the harbor. We went and chatted it up with the other crews in our fleet, made fun of weird bros, and enjoyed the company of other sailors. There was a sweet sunset I was able to snap a few pictures of.
No matter what the results we had to eat. So the other vegan crew stirred up some rotini noodles with chicken style meat-less strips, marinara with peppers and mushrooms over a bit of lettuce for a tasty “bowl.” Just because we are living in a refugee style camp doesn’t mean we have to eat like it… One of the boats in the Super 30 Fleet hosted a party at their rental house across the harbor. We went and chatted it up with the other crews in our fleet, made fun of weird bros, and enjoyed the company of other sailors. There was a sweet sunset I was able to snap a few pictures of.
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| Monday Night's Sunset... |
Tuesday was going to be better. Starting off with a great sunrise and a masterfully created breakfast of steel cut oats with banana, almonds, cinnamon, and a little vanilla almond milk topped with home baked apple pie protein bar crumbles.
We shed the first day jitters, tuned the boat, were prepared for the light wind, and the crew settled into our positions. We waited…and waited…for the wind to grace us. While we waited I snapped some of the most beautiful photos. I wish a camera could do the view justice. Lunch for the boat, prepared in the morning, was a sandwich. Smashed avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and BBQ baked tofu on Dave’s Killer Bread.
When the wind finally showed we came together and competed well. Throughout the week consistency was the key to our success, while other boats went from bullets to 6ths and 7ths. The long wait for wind afforded time for only one race. We pulled a 2nd and were recognized at the nightly party. The prize was a fleece hat…I wish I had the photo of my brother wearing it like a dweeb.
Dinner day 2 was pan roasted Brussels sprouts with pinto beans, and chicken style strips over rice. Ingested in minutes it was a great easy way to fill my belly. A trip to the store for some more provisions and another awesome sunset capped off a good day of sailing that left us hungry for the next.
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| I Burned My Mouth. It Was Scha-Mazing |
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| I Make Really Good Sammiches |
We shed the first day jitters, tuned the boat, were prepared for the light wind, and the crew settled into our positions. We waited…and waited…for the wind to grace us. While we waited I snapped some of the most beautiful photos. I wish a camera could do the view justice. Lunch for the boat, prepared in the morning, was a sandwich. Smashed avocado, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and BBQ baked tofu on Dave’s Killer Bread.
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| Floating...Not a bad way to spend an afternoon... |
When the wind finally showed we came together and competed well. Throughout the week consistency was the key to our success, while other boats went from bullets to 6ths and 7ths. The long wait for wind afforded time for only one race. We pulled a 2nd and were recognized at the nightly party. The prize was a fleece hat…I wish I had the photo of my brother wearing it like a dweeb.
Dinner day 2 was pan roasted Brussels sprouts with pinto beans, and chicken style strips over rice. Ingested in minutes it was a great easy way to fill my belly. A trip to the store for some more provisions and another awesome sunset capped off a good day of sailing that left us hungry for the next.
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| Whidbey Island...Some Brand of Paradise |
Wednesday got real. The wind was good enough early that all fleets were able to get in 2 races. On the first we managed to pull ahead and grab what would be our only bullet for the week followed by a conservative 4th. It was enough to kick us up in the standings and we won the day! I got to keep the prize. It is my honor to be kept warm with the feeling of victory.
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| Yep. |
Food for Wednesday included the best cold cereal combination. Life, almonds, banana, blue berries and vanilla almond milk. I rarely eat cold cereal…it was incredible. Boatness food was several granola bars, some apples, and peanut butter and strawberry sandwiches. Significantly more tasty and healthful than jam/jelly, I highly recommend adding/smashing fresh fruit into the middle of your peanut butter sandwiches. Dinner included leftover marinara over noodles with broccoli and chicken style strips. After the nightly Rum Tent Festivus we were graced with another beautiful Northwest Sunset.
You may notice I sustained an injury to my thumb…and how it heals throughout the week. (I learned that if you are making food with a super sharp knife while overly exhausted and say aloud “I am going to cut myself,” you should probably put the knife down before you cut your fucking thumb off.) A few stitches the night before we left, some bandaids and tape to keep it protected and it was like nothing ever happened.
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| One had to be cut out...b/c it was ripping... |
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| And the rest cut out on the boat... |
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| Eagles...They put 2 birds on it... |
Thursday morning I got a chance to walk out to the point of the harbor. I spent the walk chatting it up with one of my crewmates and spotting a pair of bald eagles that have been living out there for some time. It was an interesting chat, as I was informed (through ‘constructive’ criticism) that I never have anything nice to say about anyone. It struck a chord. I don’t like being viewed as overly negative, because I know I can be. Especially in competitive team situations where there is mutual dependency involved in completing tasks. This set the tone for the day. I focused hard and did my best to perform all of my functions errorless. I did well, but because I was in the zone I thought I should have done significantly better. I put the weight of our 3rd and 4th place finishes on my shoulders, and it put me in a shitty mood.
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| Thursday Night...Holy Crap...This Place is Beautiful |
As I have mentioned before, I am excessively competitive. I can’t help it. At the end of Thursday we were in second place. The only way we could win the week was to get a first and have the current first place boat finish 6th or worse. I have been competing in serious sports since elementary school. Some people may consider it to be silly, but if you put in as much time as I have working on specific skills, performing them correctly when needed becomes an insanely important part of your life. Sailing is my current competitive outlet. Needless to say…Thursday after the races was a somber time. I was in my head trying to figure out what needed to be done in the following races to ensure CharlieMike took home top prize.
This night on my way to my tent I was brushing my teeth and was approached by 2 fellows I had seen throughout the week, one (D-Bag) who has a major hard-on for my brother, and a helmsman from another boat who loves the "mara-juh-wanna." The following are the highlights of our exchange:
D-Bag: Where is Chuck?
Me: Asleep.
D-Bag: Why are you so uptight?
Me: I’m not uptight, I just don’t like you.
D-Bag: Why do you keep backing away?
Me: Because I don’t want you to burn me with your cigarette.
D-Bag: Yeah, because I am going to burn you
Me: Well, it is really close to his dick. (Pointing at Extremely High Dude’s penis area)
Extremely High Dude: Yeah man, that is really close to my dick. (No breath/pause) Do you like to be naked?
Me: Yeah, don’t you?
Extremely High Dude: Wanna get naked now?
Me: Fuck no. (And I went to sleep.)
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| Back to Foulies...What Month is It...July...? |
Friday came with some fog, low winds, and that shitty mist. It was back to foulies and boots. Our start was middle of the road. We should have gone earlier and changed our upwind heading. After the initial excitement was over we seemed to be in 7th in a fleet of 9. Without fail our tactics and crew work were unmatched. In an attempt to hold our second place standing we covered boats and made decisions which helped us creep up on several boats. The wind lightened. The course was shortened. As the final upwind leg carried on we were neck and neck with several boats. Hiking hard and clenching our ass cheeks we squeaked by any threats and crossed the finish.
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| This is what a bad start looks like... |
The horn sounded, we all took a beat, and then rejoiced. Too fucking soon. In our attempt to squeeze out other boats we came through the finish close to the mark. The Race Committee had shortened the course, in doing so they hooked the 2 windward marks together. After one and a half boat lengths we found that we had hooked the mark. First step is figuring out if it is on the rudder or the keel. Always start with the rudder on the Ft10. My brother lifted the rudder and we were not freed. Since we now knew it was hooked on the keel we had to take the mark and run it up and around the bow. Once we finished that we were forced to spin and go through the finish once again. This maneuver put us in 5th place, with the previously standing 1st place boat finishing behind in 6th. Not an easy thing to swallow. Had we not hooked the mark we would have secured first place for the race and the entire week; that however, was not our fate. And with that mistake race week was over.
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| Threre are no points for 2nd Place |
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| Sofa King Good |
On the way in we de-rigged as much as we could; removing the vang, boom, storing sails, and pulling up halyards. We got in line at the dock and waited to put the boat back on the trailer and lower the mast. This time all 8 of us were there to help. It came down with little trouble; the most interesting thing was the crowd of people around watching it happen. Got it done, tied it all up and headed over to the Rum Tent for the awards and final interactions with the crews. All the disappointment from having gotten a second place settled and we were able to have a good time. As a crew we went out for dinner and then back to camp for some miscellany; snacks, Frisbee, chatting, and a random dude with a guitar all tied the bow on what was a pretty badass week.
Then next morning we woke to overcast and the results of rain, packed up camp and headed out. I stopped in Seattle for breakfast at Wayward Vegan Café and enjoyed splitting some of the most delicious French Toast and a Veggie-ful Scramble.
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| On the way back to the real world: Strait of Juan de Fuca...Amazing |
I struggled a bit with the results of the week, the last moments were the highest highs and the lowest low. It is a hard concept to swallow knowing that we were the ones that lost it. Prowler (the 1st place boat) didn’t win. We took everything we worked all week for and handed it over on a silver platter. (In actuality it was a Wooden Plaque and a 2x3 Super 30 fleet flag…but you get the picture.) In hindsight all you can do is move on. Take the mistake, flush it and enjoy the small battles won throughout the week.
There is nothing I would have rather spent my time doing. I learned a lot about racing, got closer with the crew, can now rig the Tiger in my sleep, and got a chance to meet some very interesting characters. I’m hungry for a first place. Whidbey Island Race Week 2013 is going to see a new champion in the Super 30 Fleet.
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| Best Crew Around |
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