Now I know how that feels!

J22s at rest

I suspect this Leo has a water sign rising somewhere. I love being out on the water, I love being in the water. Not quite in the way I went swimming on Sunday, in the middle of a race. Unexpectedly, surprisingly. This weekend the weather was great for sailing, the North Sound had a good swell and the wind was mostly over 12 knots. Perfect for racing. On Sunday I raced on Yahoo.

We were doing okay when suddenly Yahoo pitched wildly and tipped over. We were about tack, over we went broaching. The dreaded B word Dave threw about as we sailed to the start. I did tell him to shush. I had very little to hold onto and missed my chance to swim on as the boat righted itself. There I was clinging to the side by my finger tips as we raced on. I managed to work my way around to the back then lost grip and ended up on my own in the water swimming after a fast retreating boat. 

Bruce and crew came around and got me, I managed to reach the side and work my way around to the ladder. Hauling myself up was interesting but there I was like a beached whale puffing in the bottom of the boat. It was not amusing, we were close to a 3rd and ended up at the back. Funnily enough, I had talked to others about the need to wear a life jacket, especially in lively winds. I decided not to on Sunday, it worked okay for me this time. 

After another couple of races we headed in shore to swap tales of racing and impromptu swims, there was a small amount of ridicule but at least I know what it feels like to broach and go overboard in the process. I also heard Amanda's story from the fore deck of being at a 90 degree angle and clinging on to very little to stay aboard. It was worth a rum or two. I was a bit sore, a few new bruises in unmentionable places.

The next day Jo, Didge and I went out again, this time I was fore deck for a while. I need the practice. The weather was perfect, a crew of three not four meant there was plenty of room and we played for a couple of hours. Until my arms ached from setting and gibing the pole, flying the kite and trimming the jib. See how many yachting terms I can fit into one sentence! I'm also not so useless as I was at the jobs that need to be doing. I can almost always manage a bow line knot. It looks odd because I do it back to front the lefty way but it works.

One of Saturday's floats

I had a great weekend, a good mix of fun, entertainment and exercise. I learnt some stuff, lots of lovely stuff and enjoyed the company of my friends. Today the festivities continued in town and Jo and I joined them for lunch. The cruise ships are amazing here, dwarfing the buildings and everything else as they berth just offshore. Two of these giants were in today, a treat for the passengers that George Town was so lively with the steel pans playing, stalls with local crafts and produce and pirates wandering around. All good fun.