This Picture Reminds Me of a Certain Other Regatta

Greetings to Honorable Mama-san

Emma Goes Brown

There can't be much in life that's more intimidating than an Aikido test. The yudansha (black belts) sit in a line — strictly in order of rank, of course — in a corner of the dojo. You stand alone at the shomen (the front of the room). The Sensei (principal teacher) calls students up to the shomen, one at a time, to serve as uké (attacker). The other students sit in their own line toward the rear of the dojo. Each uké attacks, and for an hour and a half everyone sees exactly what you can do.

Mostly it goes on in silence, but every so often the yudansha comment. Sometimes they make demands: "From that entry, show me a corner throw from ten-kon," or "I want to see four variations on nikkyo." Sometimes (and never good times) they offer appraisals: "That's not gonna work" or just "Oooff!"

Last night was Emma's turn. Below black belt, there are seven kyus (ranks), and the more highly you rank, the lower is the number of your kyu. These ranks correspond to belt colors, or course: seventh kyu is white, kyus six through four are blue, and kyus three through one are brown. Emma's been at fourth kyu for some time, so this test was a fairly big one — the chance to move up from blue to brown belt.

She was great! The test was harder than any she's taken before, precisely because she was going for a higher rank. She was expected to know more, but on top of that the attackers (especially those at higher levels) attacked harder. Didn't matter; she passed it easily (although she probably wouldn't have used that word) and is now a brown belt!

Emma demonstrates her technique on her hapless dad.	Emma, sporting her new brown belt, surrenders her old blue belt to Sensei.

Any Body Have $200,000 Handy?

Did it look like this?

Can you imagine what a kraken could do to a Sunfish? Fortunately there are no reliable records of a kraken ever venturing into Barnegat Bay. But, as Ol' Charlie used to say, "that bay is full of strange critters."

Kraken Alert

I warned you all about krakens, a month or so ago, and you skoffed. And yet, on a visit to the supermarket today, there was the Weekly World News proclaiming, "Giant Squid Attacks Jersey Shore!" and "Terror From Deep Unleashes Its Fury!" Still you may skoff, but the Weekly World News does not call itself "The World's Only Reliable Newspaper" for nothing.....

Sound Familiar?

Plane crash off Hyannis stuns beachgoers
Pilot swims away with no injuries after engine fails

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | August 6, 2006

Sandy Griffin was sitting comfortably in a small sailboat off Hyannis yesterday when she heard the sound of an engine sputtering.

She looked up to see a small red and white single-engine plane carrying an advertising banner descend rapidly toward the water.

The plane flew just a few feet over a man paddling in a kayak, she said, and according to police touched down on an isolated part of Kalmus Beach three times before it crashed nose first into the ocean, not far from hundreds of stunned beachgoers .

Griffin, a nurse's assistant from Falmouth, managed to take pictures as her 26-year-old daughter screamed and her 23-year-old son sat in stunned silence.

``It was nerve-racking," she said a few hours later yesterday, in a telephone interview. Minutes after the splashy nose dive , she saw a man furiously swimming away from the plane as rescue boats rushed to the scene.

The crash occurred shortly before 1 p.m. near the village of Hyannis. The pilot was the only person aboard and was not injured, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Murray.

Barnstable Police identified the pilot as Matthew Benard, who is 27 and lives in Melrose. He has been a licensed pilot since 2001, said Barnstable sergeant Ben Baxter , who helped fish Benard out of the water.

``He was upset," Baxter said. ``He was full of adrenaline."

Benard was taken to Cape Cod Hospital as a precautionary measure and released, Baxter said .

Christy Mihos, the independent gubernatorial candidate, was on the deck of his Cape Cod home, about to bite into a roast beef and blue cheese sandwich when he saw the plane go into the water.

``My wife and I were watching," Mihos said. ``You could tell something was terribly wrong." He said the Hyannis harbormaster towed the plane to a sandbar.

``It's a miracle the way the thing went in [that] the pilot is OK," he said.

Mihos said he and his son rushed to their inflatable boat and sped off toward the accident to rescue the pilot. But the Coast Guard beat them to it, Mihos said in a phone interview.

Mihos, who stayed in the water for about an hour to make sure oil did not drip into the ocean, said he never got to finish his sandwich.

Yachty Newport

International Yacht Restoration School, Newport
Originally uploaded by lindachr.

Rosemary and I took a day trip to Newport last Saturday and happened upon the International Yacht Restoration School, a very cool 2 year program where one spends the first year restoring a beetle cat that anyone would think beyond repair let alone worthy of restoration. (The Beetle Cat is a 12 foot, gaff rigged, wooden sailboat first built in 1921 by the Beetle family of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Beetle, Inc., located in Wareham, Massachusetts, is now the sole builder of Beetle Cat boats.)

We were also able to peek in at the "Coronet", a 133-foot schooner yacht built in 1885, also being restored by students at the school.

Windy Thursday

On Thursday, July 27, Dave and I decided to sail from Loveladies to the Surf City Yacht Club. As usual the wind was light as we left the dock. As it has been almost every day in the latter part of July, the wind was very strong once we got into the bay. Surf City beckoned several miles upwind so away we sailed. I think it took me about twenty tacks just to get past the Osprey nest and reach Harvey Cedars. But, it was exciting to be out there on a windy day and we continued on. Once we rounded the big island off of Harvey C. the bay opens up and the wind was stronger and the waves were bigger. The waves were big enough that it was crash and splash all the way. I was getting soaked and my gloves were just wet rags on my hands. I had to tack just about every minute because my hands and arms were too tired to hold the main sheet any longer. But turn back? Never! Actually I kept thinking about it but Dave was 20 boat lengths ahead of me and I couldn't shout loud enough for him to hear me and I didn't want to turn back without letting him know. We had to maintain diligent boat balance to keep from capsizing. I decided to sail closer to the shoreline where the waves were smaller. Dave went further out into the middle bay. The next time we crossed tacks he must have been fifty boat lenghts ahead. But, no matter what I wasn't going out into the middle of the bay beacause of the bigger waves and I didn't want to cross the boat channel. My arms were getting more tired and I couldn't sheet in all the way and so my tacks were not really getting me much upwind payoff. It was almost like I was just reaching back and forth and gaining about 100 feet each tack. Eventually I actually saw the goal line...the Surf City Yacht Club flagpole. Dave seemed to be almost there, about a mile ahead of me. Give up? No way. I think it took me about five hundred tacks to get to the club from Loveladies. But I got there. We sailed around the club and the members there looked at us and I wonder what they thought about these two guys in Sunfishes just out for a lovely day sail. Our sail downwind was about as fast as you can go in this boat with the wind behind you. The boats were about 2/3s out of the water. Off the wind my aching arms recovered pretty quickly. When we reached Maris Stella we turned in to wave to the sisters.

It was a week ago today. I wish that I could go out again.

group minus montclair and rosemary

group minus montclair and rosemary
Originally uploaded by lindachr.

Kraken? We're not afraid of any krakens

oh and stu got a new boom at the harvey cedars marina yesterday and the wind has diminished significantly so we are back in business!!!

Our Federal Tax Dollars at Work

A conversation between Linda and Stuart on the beach this afternoon began something like this: "I think there is a certain point at which the wind speed is too powerful for a sunfish, I'm not sure what that is though."

Today we found out what that is. Linda was literally flying across the bay, waves slamming over the side, thinking to herself, I wonder where Stu is. I hope he comes out soon, I wonder if he sees how fast I am going... Next thing I knew I looked over and saw Stu -- then saw him capsized. Tried to sail over to him downwind and then was going so f'in fast I had to undo the figure 8 knot in my mainsheet and just let it go. Cruised over to him using just the current to find out that his boom had snapped. Kind people on the nearby dock called the COAST GUARD who came by and towed him back home. oh and full disclosure mandates that i also was towed back to safety by a jetski.

Stella !!!

Ready for the Shore

Getting Ready for the Shore

We got the boats out this weekend. Of course, the closest that they got to the water is what came out of the garden hose - but at least they're shipshape!

News from Columbus

it hasn't hit the news feeds yet, but i just got a call from my very good source at the episcopal convention that they elected a woman as presiding bishop.

If its all the same with you judge, I'll take the $30

T minus 30 days & counting until I'm sipping a Loveladies Daiquiri on the deck overlooking Little Egg Harbor.

crap!

they are backordered until 07/07/06

ursprache

Katharine Close, an 8th grader from Spring Lake, New Jersey spelled "ursprache" correctly to become the National Spelling Bee Champion. She is also reported to be a pretty good sailor.

took cher out on cape cod bay yesterday

that's it - thought i'd share... conditions were perfect and a good time was had. the summer has begun. no i did not take this photo but this is pamet harbor, where i went out. the water looks quite calm in this picture, but yesterday there were good sized waves pretty far out. whee.

happy birthday mom!!

fashion

don't even think of showing up at lbi in board shorts this season! unless of course you bring a board. does a sunfish qualify as a "board"?

Dress Codes

cool water

Jodi Hilton for The New York Times
Nick Baggetta, right, got help from a neighbor and fellow state trooper, Ted Downer, in removing items from his home in Methuen, Mass.

Anyone care to guess what these "items" were?

hot drawing action

A drawing of Vanessa's was chosen as the 'student art winner' and published in the San Diego City College's annual art and literary journal, City Works.

Each spring City Works publishes what its student and faculty editors regard as the best writing and artwork submitted from students, faculty and staff at San Diego City College, as well as from the San Diego community and the nation at large.

Full Participation

Allow me to direct your attention to page 88 of 2006-2007 International Sunfish Class Association Handbook. What? You don't have one?

Hot Riding Action

One third, two seconds, and one first. The Champion!

More Hot Sailing

Overall April Capri 22 Race Results

1st Place - David Christie
2nd Place - Dennis Burks
3rd Place - Clay Karmel

hot sailing action

Hot Sailing Action!

Last Sunday was the annual Opening Day Race at Harbor Sailboats, a random-leg race all over San Diego Bay in which boats of all classes are welcome to compete. You’ve heard all that before. This year, though, there was a twist: the race committee brought along a video camera and got some exciting footage of the start.

It focuses, at the outset, on a couple of boats already rather out of things, then pans to our great friend and archrival, Steve McNally. He, unlike the others, has lined up his start beautifully: sailing in a boat called Echo just off the wind on starboard, he turns up at just the right moment, trims sails, and looks to reach the line with clear air right as the horn sounds. But suddenly, from nowhere, comes Alpha — its crew constisting of Emma, Ross, and Dave — and smokes him, taking the windward position to win the start.

We may have led at the start, but Steve smoked us at the finish, after a really great race that saw the lead change many times among us, Steve, and a professional sailor named Ray Treppa. At the end it was Steve in first, with us taking third, some two and a half minutes behind him after three and a half hours of sailing. FUN!

The video’s pretty cool. To see it, click here. (And, as we say in the computer biz, the file may take a few moments to load. Please be patient.)

It's Raining, It's Pouring . . .

And all of it is backing up in front of our house!


This is in front of our neighbor's house. The hazard cones are in front of our house.
The right-hand side is sort of what it's supposed to look like.





Many, many years ago, Myrtle Avenue had cobblestone gutters to handle all of the rainwater that flowed down the street. They worked, but not terribly well. We complained to the town, because the street was collapsing in front of our house, creating a hazardous circumstance (along with many of the neighbors, our cobblestones had long been paved over) (one of our other neighbors had a far more dangerous circumstance as well). Eventually, the town came in with a plan to put underground pipes to carry the water, and belgian block curbs to make the street look nice. But the head of the historic preservation group lives two houses up from us, and so the project had to be reengineered to restore all of the gutters. This would have required an additional assessment, but the town was going to get an historic preservation grant from the state. So far, everyone was reasonably happy (the project was delayed a year, but we could live with it). Then came March, and the town announced that it didn't get the grant but it would do the project anyway. They came in, start taking down trees and digging four - five foot deep trenches. We were all confused, but figured they knew what they were doing. Then they started laying cobblestone (actually - very large rocks) and we realized that this was it - the plan was for a four foot deep trench (or moat, as we all like to call them). Imagine the cars falling in and not being able to get out! Imagine small children falling in and not being able to get out! Imagine the (literally) hundreds of emails circulating among the neighbors and the town! Long story (relatively) short - the mayor comes to view, issues a 'stop work' order, the plan gets (again) reengineered, and they should be starting up again this week. In the meantime, since they're half done (of course, the 'stop work' order came through after digging our moat, but before installing the cobblestones), all the water rushes down the street and now deadends in front of our house. Instant swimming pool!

OK Marge may have alot of entries but Stuart,

Have you tried doing a search on yourself?

www.mymsnsearch.com

Our Beloved Blog

Do you know what you get when you type "Marge Christie" into google?

Sunny Southern Cal

Here's a view of my back yard after a little winter storm blew through — not much for a New Englander, I know, but rather unusual around here. I was supposed to go racing today; I guess I'm glad the skipper discovered some damage to his boat and had to cancel so that repairs could be made.

By the way, Traci & I sailed with the mystery crew, a newbie, because we waited to reserve a boat for so long that there were no longer boats to be had. Sailing with her was the only way we could sail at all. Her name (I think) was Adrian, although she let it be known that she preferred to be called "Elena." So of course I said that my name is David but I preferred to be called Dimitri. No, I didn't really......

The March Lions & Lambs

The racing season has begun here in San Diego. That is, for me it has begun. For Dave it kinda never stops. Anyway, the first races of 2006 out of the Harbor Sailboats Club took place on Sunday, February 26. At race time, 1:00, there was absolutely no wind. We had to keep turning on our engines to stay close to the starting area. The first race start was postponed until the wind came up a little which was at about 1:30. We had a good group of 12 boats with a few newcomers who haven't had much race experience. Dave teamed up with friend Traci and another woman whose name I forget. Kyle and I raced in another boat. D, T & ? sailed well and had two first place finishes but one stinky race out of the five races on the afternoon. They took third on the day. K & I were very middle of the pack and took fifth overall. This Sunday we all race again. We have a big storm coming at us and so Sunday's races may get very interesting. We will see who are the lions and who are the lambs. One thing is for sure, it is going to be a foul weather gear day. I'm psyched. I love bad weather.

Torino 2006 Olympic Games

Final Torino 2006 Olympics Medal Count:

Franklin Lakes/Mahwah, New Jersey: 0

Montclair, New Jersey: 0

Roslindale, Massachusetts: 0*

La Jolla, California: 0**

Carlsbad, California: 1, GOLD, Shaun White, Snowboarding


*Courtney Kennedy, Woburn, Mass(only a snowballs throw away from Roslindale), Bronze, Ice Hockey

**Sasha Cohen's mother lives in La Jolla

More winter pics

To see more of my photos, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindachr/

You asked for it...

Another victim who foolishly came up from behind without following proper hunting protocol.

Isn't it about time.......

for our annual New England / Mid-Atlantic blizzard picture?

the bridge to nowhere?

This is the lastest report from New Jersey Audubon...


The Barnegat Light BLACK GUILLEMOT is no longer reliable, but was
rediscovered Jan. 4 and seen again Jan. 12 at the inlet. It
apparently is wandering further south down the bay with unconfirmed
reports from 15th and 18th Streets in the marinas there in Barnegat
Light during the last week. Barnegat Light State Park is hosting a
state record number of Common Eiders with as many as 138 reported
there along with one female King Eider Jan. 6 and 7. Harlequin Ducks
at Barnegat Light State Park total 33, along with 50 Snow Buntings
Jan. 8, several Purple Sandpipers and one Red Knot Jan. 5 to 8.

A DICKCISSEL was discovered in Manahawkin on Jan. 8 at the
intersection of Bay Avenue and Rt. 9 and three ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS
were noted at the bridge to nowhere at the end of Stafford Avenue.

I sure hope these nice birds decide to stay until July 8. See you all then.

And the winner is ...

New Jersey: Come see [the strippers] for yourself!

Goin' Fast

I just read about a boat in the Volvo Ocean Challenge Race that set a new world monohull distance record of 563 nautical miles for 24 hours. That is an average speed of 23.4 knots! Holy Sunfish. The Southern Ocean between Cape Horn and Sydney is howling. I think that Dave is the only one among us to have experienced serious speed in a large sailboat during a race in gnarly weather and his boat was quite a few notches below 23.4 knots. When he returned from that race he looked like he was returning from a war. How do these guys manage to race under these insane conditions? Go faster boat, hold on everybody.

A new era begins for our beloved blog

Happy New Year 2006

How I spent my New Years morning (not hung over)...somewhere between yachting and crabbing: pelagic birding on a fishing boat for four hours with the San Diego Field Ornithologists. Short-tailed Shearwater to port!

How do you vote?

Acting Governor Richard J. Codey unveiled the top five entries for New Jersey's tourism slogan yesterday and asked state residents to vote for their favorite.

New Jersey tourism slogan?
	New Jersey: Expect the Unexpected
	New Jersey: Love at First Sight
	New Jersey: Come See for Yourself
	New Jersey: The Real Deal
	New Jersey: The Best Kept Secret
	New Jersey: We Hate You, Too
	If Living Here Were Easy, It Would Be Another State
Free polls from Pollhost.com

The 8th Wonder of the World

girl meets gorilla. girl loses gorilla. girl gets gorilla.

LBI Bumper Sticker Sighting

This morning while driving Kyle to school I suddenly found myself behind a car with an LBI bumper sticker (the one with Barnegat Light as the I). The car ended up going to Kyle's school and dropped off a student. So, I think that I can safely assume that there are two kids going to La Jolla High School that have made exit 63 on the GSP. This sighting amazingly raises the total of LBI sticker sightings to four (one of them being Dave's Honda) in San Diego County. In all four cases the LBI sticker was the only sticker on the car. 3,000 miles away the magic lives. I guess that it is time for me to get one for my car and raise the total to five.

Happy Birthday Rubeus Hagrid

Born: December 6, 1928

Happy Birthday from Fang, Aragog, Buckbeak, Norbert, Fluffy & Ross

The Time Has Come

Time to start planning the Yankee-Swap! Who's in? What's the suggested limit? Remember, unless you are under 16 or over 60, participation in the Virtual Yankee-Swap(tm) precludes you from receiving otherwise tangible gift like items from others in the VY-S. Not that you would be guaranteed of getting one anyway!

Last Race Report of the Season

Part 1: No Sooner Said Than Done

My last race report ended, as you may recall, with the words “Providing, of course, that I don’t run into anything.” Life keeps teaching us an important lesson, and we (or, at least, I) keep failing to learn it — Do not tempt fate. The very next time I sailed, I ran into something.

The occasion was the Harbor Sailboats Fall Fleet Race, an annual event that sends racers in any type of boat off on a handicapped random-leg course. It was entirely separate from the Capri 22 series about which I’ve been reporting, but I was sailing a Capri 22 anyway, with Emma as crew. Ross and Kyle were competing in their own 22.

In the final (but long) leg of the race, I was sailing close-hauled on starboard tack. I came into range of a 30-or-so-foot boat called Tangaroa, sailing close-hauled on port tack. If you know your right-of-way rules, you know he was required to get out of my way. But he crossed ahead of me with too little room to pass clearly; I hailed him, and he did nothing; I attempted to evade him, but we hit.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, and damage was limited to my bow pulpit being bent out of shape. (Should you happen not to know, a bow pulpit is a structure of stainless steel pipes mounted on the bow to give crew something to grab onto. It’s absent from smaller boats, but standard on larger boats.)

Incredibly, even after the collision this guy seemed intent on getting in my way. We crossed three or four more times and, regardless of what the rules might require, I had to evade him every time.

The New York Times, by convention, declares itself a “family newspaper” and declines to use off-color language even when a story might make such language appropriate. Well this, I suppose, is a family blog. So allow me, by way of editorial comment, to note that Tangaroa is the name not only of the boat with which I collided, but also of a mythical Polynesian god renowned for an anatomical characteristic entirely in keeping with my opinion of the boat’s skipper.

Part 2: All’s Well That Ends Well

So — Race 4. I was there, with Emma once again as crew. Steve was there. Dennis was there. So were two other boats. But the wind was somewhere else.

Because there was literally no breeze, we had to motor out to reach the course before the race began. Just before the start (and I mean perhaps two minutes before the start) a waft of breeze materialized on the right side of the start line. I got the best of it — regardless of how I can finish, these days apparently I sure can start. The breeze continued to build, and at the first mark I was in first place.

But Steve passed me on the second leg, a close reach, and Dennis came up close behind. As we rounded the second mark, Steve set a course to, and then along, North Island. We were in a strong ebb tide, and Steve was trying to avoid it as best he could. But Dennis went out into the middle of the bay. I followed Steve but, tide or no tide, Dennis kicked our butts. Within a space of perhaps ten minutes, he was at least 30 boat lengths ahead.

So I altered course to go out into the bay, where the tide may have been stronger, but so was the wind. I began to catch Dennis; I began to leave Steve behind; but the wind began to drop. By the time it dropped to nothing (my GPS read 0.0 knots of boat speed), I was ahead of Dennis, well ahead of Steve, and the others weren’t even a consideration.

But now the true breeze filled in — from behind. This meant that every boat gained ground while I drifted, waiting for wind. (By the way, “gained ground” is the term I hear used, but why? Shouldn’t it be “gained water”?) I imagine there is no more frustrating sensation on this planet.

Here’s where Steve’s stay-out-of-the-current strategy paid off. Once the wind reached all of us and we were all moving well, he moved a little better. And a little at any moment adds up to a lot after many moments; by the time he reached the downwind mark he was very safely in first. I reached it in second, Dennis in third, and the others once more not even a consideration.

Now it was close-hauled sailing to the finish. I suffered a “moment” — actually about three minutes — during which I couldn’t point or move the boat at all well, and Dennis caught and passed me. But then, as we continued to sail, I gained ground (there’s that word again). It all came down to a single crossing — I on starboard, Dennis on port — on which our boats were inches apart. A puff hit us and my boat rounded up naturally onto a course that would have led me to hit him. And I had right of way….

But I already owed Harbor Sailboats for a new bow pulpit. What’s more, I suddenly recalled: This race didn’t matter. He had to put five boats between me and him in order to pass me in the overall standings. So, I turned down, passed behind him, and ended up taking third in the race, but second overall in the regatta. First went to Steve, and Steve: Congratulations!

New Class Legal Equipment Unveiled for 2006

Race Three

Sure there was a race last Saturday, and there are results to report, but let’s skip straight to the good stuff: the most spectacular collision I’ve ever seen.

Bear in mind, I’ve seen more than a couple in the last couple of years (and, in fact, been involved in a few of them). Even Tom Hirsh, the guy who owns the boats we race and who has publicly proclaimed something close to a you-bang-em-you-buy-em policy, mentioned privately just last week that “if you don’t crash now and again you’re just not trying hard enough.” But this was a doozy.

A cutter called the Californian, the official “tall ship” of the state of California and a beast of some 130 tons, often cruises San Diego Bay. This particular day, it was out and about along with another sailing ship — name and exact size, I regret to say, unknown, but it was nearly as large, and let’s call it the Phantom. The two were scheduled to go out and blast cannons (plenty of gunpowder, no actual balls) at each other the next day, and they were, I suppose, warming up.

And there we were — “we” being myself and Midshipman Krabby Kyle — close-hauled on the final leg of our race, battling it out with archrival Steve McNally for first. We were on port tack, and I could see that the Phantom was on collision course on starboard. He had, in other words, right of way. But you know what? That didn’t matter. The law of gross tonnage applied here, and I was going to get out of his way. We tacked, and it cost us, and we were annoyed that we had to tack, but all was well.

Now, the Chapman brothers were in our race. As it happens, I am the only person to have entered a boat in these races longer and more regularly than they have. They’re established. But they have a record — a “crash-to-takeoff ratio,” as Tom put it in that private conversation, far exceeding that of any other entrant. They’re also remarkably uneven sailors; sometimes they’re way back in the fleet, and sometimes they contend for first. This was one of the latter occasions. They’d led much of the race and, only in a late leg, had fallen into a close third.

So, a minute or two after we were clear of the Phantom, I heard a noise. I looked back. There were the Chapmans, in exactly the same situation in which I had found myself a few minutes before, except apparently they’d never heard of the law of gross tonnage. (Admittedly, it’s a concept that’s essentially intuitive; I doubt it appears in any rule book.) They were crossing before the Phantom, on port to its starboard (as if that mattered!), and they had already made contact — hence the noise. The Chapman’s mast and the ship’s bowsprit had fouled, and I watched their mast being literally ripped right off their boat.

Hoochie Mamma! But, amazingly, there was no hull-to-hull contact, and no one was hurt. Even so, I turned back to offer any help we could (a decision that seemed obvious to me). It took less than a minute to reach them and to have them convince us they were ok and wave us back into the race, but by then we had no chance of catching Steve. (And in fairness to Steve, we likely would not have caught him anyway.) But the turning back led us to be caught by another boat, and we ended up in third.

So, in the final race a week from this Saturday, it seems highly unlikely that I’ll catch Steve (I’d need to beat him by four boats), and even less likely that the third-place boat will catch me. So it looks like it will be a nice, leisurely affair resulting in a second overall. Providing, of course, that I don’t run into anything……

Howdy pardners

the game ended in a tie, 2-2 if i recall. and ain't that a real nice tie.

Coincidence? I Think Not!

It all began with AWA713. Then (years later, I admit), I bought my first Accord and received at random a license plate on which the letter characters were MLC. Then Ross got his VKK license plate. Now the state of California has finally sent me the plates for my new car: 5RLS868. I want to know how come they left out the D?

Mark Your Calendars

Only 47 days 10 hours 56 minutes until the December 14th release of the 3 hour long King Kong remake!

Race Two

What could be more different? Gray, overcast, drizzly skies where the previous race day was sunny; light (almost no) wind when before there was plenty; and in place of the experienced Kyle, a jib trimmer who, it turned out, would be stepping into a sailboat for the very first time. Still, my lucky hat remained the same; let’s see what it could do for me.

First, the new crew (to introduce him) was Tyler Olmstead, a fellow Aikido student. After working out with him for several years, I knew that he possesses considerable stores of balance, timing, and natural physical ability, so despite his inexperience, I was confident. And by the end of the day, I was not at all disappointed.

We sailed another random-leg course, but because the wind was light, this course was considerably shorter than the first one (a fact that will resonate later in the story). The course meandered here and there through San Diego Bay, and, in an unusual touch, ended right off the Harbor Sailboats dock. This meant leaving the wide bay and traversing relatively narrow passages around the western tip of Harbor Island and then down its northern side.

Unlike the first race, this one decidedly favored a starboard-tack start, and we got the best of it. Midway up the first leg, though, we had a little “crew training” moment, which was enough to allow one boat, skippered by a guy named Dennis Burks, to reach the first mark just before us. That first mark was red 20, quite close to what is at that point the southern bank of the bay (called North Island; go figure). As so often happens, Dennis and I focused on one another, reaching out toward the middle of the bay, and let a third boat sail off on another heading, along North Island, to pass us. That would be our old pal Steve McNally. But before he could go too far on his own, I broke off to cover him while Dennis continued on to the left. The result was that Steve was first to the second mark, I was a close second, and others were farther behind.

Rounding that second mark (red 22, once again in case you have a chart), I managed to turn inside of Steve, and we were neck and neck. From here it was a long dash to the finish, close-hauled most of the way. (There was another mark along the way, but the course to the finish made it almost impossible to miss, so we pretty much ignored it.) At times, I was ahead of Steve; at times, he was ahead of me; and as we focused on one another (do I never learn?), Dennis came up into contention. As we approached that narrow passage around Harbor Island, they were both a bit ahead of me, but I was farther upwind and so narrowly in first.

When, doh! I tacked toward the passage around the tip of Harbor Island and discovered that I had miscalled the lay line. Needing therefore to make two extra tacks, I watched both Steve and then Dennis go by me.

But it wasn’t over yet. Close reaching around the western tip of the island, Steve and Dennis took each other a little wide, and I gained. Then broad reaching down the northern side of the island, I seemed to get my sails set a little better than the others. I didn’t have a chance to catch Steve (who ended up finishing first), but as I approached the finish line, I heard a voice from Dennis’s boat — “Oh no!” — as I came along side him with much better speed. And it ended .... with Dennis about a foot ahead of me. If the race course had been ten yards longer, I would have taken second. But I got an exciting third instead.

And so, with two races down and two to go, it’s McNally with three points, Christie with four, and the next nearest competitor with eight.

As long as we're on the topic of etymology

As long as we're on the topic of etymology:

"'Every man meets his Waterloo at last,' wrote the nineteenth-century American moralist Wendell Phillips, and the phrase has indeed slipped into the English language to imply that there is a fate, an inescapable destiny, awaiting us all." Andrew Roberts, Waterloo: The Battle for Modern Europe (HarperCollins, 2005).

So - the next time you're playing Hearts, think of the three-threes as a matter of morality.

Eat it & have it or Have it & eat it ?

I was net surfing and came across this:


[Q] From Colin Rogers and Alison Braid-Skolski: “We are perplexed by the confusing phrase have your cake and eat it. I have always thought this a common misconception and it should be eat your cake and have it?”

[A] Whoever expected English idioms to be logical? The usual way in which one sees this one is as the negative you can’t have your cake and eat it, expressing the idea that you have to make an either/or choice, that you can’t reconcile two mutually incompatible situations. It would be a little clearer if it were written as you can’t both have your cake and eat it. It would be more obviously the same as the other form if you also rewrote that as you can’t eat your cake and still have it.

Quite why the saying has settled on this form isn’t clear. I learned it as a youth as you can’t eat your cake and have it, too, and there are more examples in my databases that way than in the can’t have your cake and eat it inversion. Those who first used it certainly agreed with your sense of logic. Though presumably rather older, it is first written down in John Heywood’s A Dialogue Conteynyng Prouerbes and Epigrammes of 1562: “Wolde ye bothe eate your cake, and haue your cake?”. John Keats quoted it as eat your cake and have it at the beginning of his poem On Fame in 1816; Franklin D Roosevelt borrowed it in that form for his State of the Union Address in 1940; a search of nineteenth-century literature shows it to be about twice as common as the other. But a quick Google search shows the have your cake and eat it form is now about ten times as frequent, and all my dictionaries of idioms and proverbs cite it that way.

One of life’s little mysteries, I suppose. But whichever way you say it, you can be sure that it will be understood. So there’s no need to worry much over the logic!

It’s All in the Hat

You know the story. I bought a Harvey Cedars Marina hat, I wore it while taking two firsts on the first day of the Barnegat Light Regatta, I cavalierly gave the hat to Linda and bought a new one, only to have Linda clobber me in every race on the second day of the regatta. Obvious conclusion: I’d given away my luck along with the hat. The new chapeau was a dog.

Well not so fast...

I’ve been crewing quite a bit on Valhalla all the remainder of the summer, but I haven’t had a chance to skipper my own boat until last Saturday; working up in Irvine has prevented me from taking part in the Tuesday evening Capri 22 races. At long last, however, the racing shifted from Tuesdays to Saturdays, and there I was, with Midshipman Krabby Kyle as my able crew (he having found that his usual skipper has his own work-schedule conflicts). And I was wearing my second Harvey Cedars Marina hat. Yeah, my dog was barkin’.

There was a fairly strong breeze more or less out of the south — didn’t have an anemometer handy, but it was enough to raise whitecaps on a deepwater bay and make it something of a challenge to handle a small boat with enough sail area to be easily overpowered.

And on that breezy day we had a “random leg” race, stretching somewhere between 10 to 15 nautical miles around channel buoys in San Diego bay. (From off the eastern half of Harbor Island across the bay to red 20; on to green 15, about halfway between the southern end of Shelter Island and the end of Point Loma; back again to FM 19, off the eastern tip of Harbor Island; down to red 26 on the other side of the San Diego–Coronado Bridge; back to FM19; and then finishing where we started. Just in case you happen to have a chart.)

The start unequivocally favored a port tack, but of the eight boats sailing, only three of us seemed to notice. Of the three, I got the best start (I’m delighted to say), with Jon Miyate above but behind me on the unfavored end of a lee-bow placement, and Steve McNalley alongside but below me. The other five effectively put themselves out of the race at the start. (Although Traci Miller, a Valhalla shipmate skippering one of the starboard-tack starters, did manage to finish in third when all was said and done.) There were a couple of tacks along the way, but at red 20 Kyle and I were in first place.

Then it got interesting. The route from red 20 to green 15 was, for more than a mile, close-hauled on port tack; then (owing to the shape of the bay; our course had been westerly but veered into the south and into the wind) a quick starboard tack and another quick port tack. Along that long port tack, Jon neither gained nor fell behind, but Steve steadily gained, and gained, and gained, and finally got about a boat length ahead and upwind of me. But he took his starboard tack the moment he could, and I split tacks with him, staying on port perhaps five to ten minutes longer. By the time I went over to starboard and he came back onto port, I crossed ten boat lengths ahead of him. We talked later, and neither of us knew why. Maybe I hit a favorable current. Maybe it was my hat.

But anyway, the suspense ends there. Once I rounded the second mark (ahead), almost all the rest of the way was off the wind — beam to broad reach. Perhaps because I pay better attention to the trim of my sails (ask Kyle how often I made him make adjustments; I’d say about every 10 seconds), or have more experience sailing off the wind, or both, I just pulled away from everyone. Really, for your entertainment if for no other reason I wish I could make this more exciting, but I led by a lot at every mark — 10 to 20 lengths ahead of Steve and more than are worth counting ahead of everyone else.

(Yikes! Am I tempting fate! Allow me to remind you that I am an undistinguished technical writer and my Aikido is laughable.)

So, there’s nothing wrong with my hat after all. Of course, that means I can no longer blame it for my loss in the Barnegat Light Regatta. So let me say this: All you Harbor Sailboats racers, if you thought I was tough, just be glad you didn’t have to sail against my sister!

Port !

set-up1, originally uploaded by rosschristie.

Imagine a very fast boat (Stars & Stripes) at least twice as large as this one that is coming at you on port tack while you are in a considerably smaller sailboat on a starboard tack. You have the right of way but does the other boat really see you? And it keeps getting closer and closer......

On Sunday, Dave took us (Emma, her friend Sarah, Kyle & I) out on Blue Canoe, a 32 foot Ericson. I was a beautiful day for sailing and we went out a few miles into the Pacific and seemed to own the ocean. Unfortunately, Sarah began feeling the effects of the ocean swells and so we returned to San Diego Bay for a more comfortable afternoon of sailing. Still, a beautiful day, a nice boat, plenty to eat and drink, who could ask for anything more? As we sailed around the bay we were accompanied by two America's Cup Yachts, Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra that take interested passengers for a thrilling ride up and down the bay. Even though we would be moving along at times at a pretty good clip, 6 1/2 to 7 knots, these big boys would go right past us as if we were anchored. Well, early in the afternoon we were on a starboard tack and heading toward the Coronado Bridge when Stars & Stripes began a port tack run in our direction. It is amazing how quickly that boat can move over water! And it is amazing how nervous you can be as it gets closer and closer and you start to wonder if they see you and are they going to go in front or behind or straight into you? Should we hold our course or go into evasive maneuvers? Or just jump ship and swim for it? I guess that they were just kind of playing chicken with us but we didn't chicken out! They ended up going behind us like a rocket.

Skipper Dave with nerves of steel, true and brave, steady on the wheel, the good sailing vessel Blue Canoe, starboard! or not, an able bodied crew, is that a yacht or a Guernsey Cow?, we crossed Stars & Stripes bow!!!

Fair Warnings

Saturday was a beautiful, warm early autumn day on old Cape Cod, with blue skies and a good strong wind as we waited around to start power washing my friend's house in Truro, where Cher just happened to be sitting in the garage, and a boat launching ramp into Cape Cod Bay just happened to be down the road about a 1/4 mile (if that). Erica stayed home with the napping twins, Rosemary and Gretchen went off in search of lunch, and I of course headed down to the water with my $10 in hand to pay the harbormaster. "What's that you got there? A kayak?" I paused, wondering how I should answer, as a kayak only costs $5 to launch.

I figured no sense irritating the old guy who would undoubtedly notice that my kayak had a sail, so I fessed up that it was in fact a sunfish. "A sunfish!! You wouldn't catch me out there on a sunfish today. No sirree. Them's winds are 30 miles per hour out there." Hmm I thought, I can handle it! After all, I am a 3-time winner of the Barnegat Light Regatta. "You sure you can handle it?" Yes. "You gonna unload that boat all by yourself?" Yes. OK now I am tiring of all the questioning but I offer "I won't be out long - I have other stuff to do today, I'll be back soon". Now the other old salt in the corner who hasn't said anything so far adds the stern warning: "IF you come back!"

I went out, had a lovely sail, and did come back to tell the tale.

Watch out in 2006

Linda's got a brand new crew!

I lost my toy

ok so we decided that it really is ridiculous to have 3 vehicles and one of them had to go. :-(

I've Got a New Toy

What do I like best about my new Prius hybrid car?

Maybe it's the keyless entry. You just walk up to the beastie and, providing you've got the LEG (that's "little electronic gizmo") in your pocket, the car just unlocks itself.

Nah... Maybe it's the performance. You tool along the freeway at 75 MPH or so, under cruise control of course, listening to the CD player, enjoying plenty of space and comfort — just like a real car!

But then, maybe it's that moment when you're driving along, minding your own business, and suddenly you can hear the gasoline engine shut off. There's a moment of panic, inspired by years of experience driving obsolete cars. But then the car just keeps going, and you remember it's got an electric engine too.

But no, the best thing is driving along, setting the LCD panel to display performance statistics, and reading "99.9 MPG." Yeah, that's pretty good......

Two Trophies Make it to Boston

Next year, on LBI?

Saw *this* on the sunfish forum today...

Cape Cod Expedition

Yesterday, Rosemary and I successfully navigated aboard Cher, world famous 14' yacht, from Pamet Harbor (Truro, Massachusetts) to Provincetown Harbor (and back!). It was only our second attempt, having turned back the previous day before reaching our goal, fearing that we would not make it back in time before dark and extreme low tide. This time however, fully stocked with provisions, cell phones, and cash, we made it to the beach in P-Town and were able to secure one frozen mocha freddo and one frozen chai freddo from the "Wired Puppy", check our email and head home. On our way home we encountered the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel.

Montclair: 1; Ramapo: 0

Last night, in a closely-fought game, the Montclair High varsity soccer team defeated perennially powerful Ramapo High varsity soccer team by a score of 1-0. GO BLUE!!!

Sadly, the Montclair freshman squad was defeated by its Ramapo counterpart. But starting (and full-game playing) centerback Graham Christie was singled out after the game by Montclair coach Stu Ball for excellence in his play.

The visitors cheering squad was sparsely attended, due to the traveling distance. But die-hard soccer fan Marge Christie has, once again, stepped out in front of the crowd. You've heard of the Soccer Mom? Well, the original soccer mom is now the Soccer Grandma!

The August Series

Sailboat racing is a humbling exercise. Sometimes you think that you know what you are doing and everything goes well. Other times you think that you know what you are doing and all goes wrong. Then again, you might think that you don't know anything and find out either that you are correct or quite suprisingly that you know more than you think that you know. There are probably more possibilities & philosophical viewpoints than these four mentioned but they pretty much cover my sailing experience in August.

At the Harbor Sailboats Club in August we had four successive Tuesday evenings of racing of three races each.

8/02
An example of 'think that I know...& all goes wrong.'

After finishing an unexciting 4th out of ten boats in the first race Kyle and I get a very good start in the second race. But more importantly, I was watching the light wind condition change so that the better air was coming from the left side while the right side of the course was dead. So, by starting on the left side our boat and the only other boat on the left side had a big advantage. Four minutes into the race we were moving ahead surely and were 30 to 40 boat lengths ahead of everyone and on what I thought was the layline to the upwind mark. We were looking back at everybody and laughing. So, we tacked.......and stopped. No wind. And worse than that everyone else had some wind now. In fact, the wind was slowly coming to us from the direction of the other boats. By the time the wind reached us everyone had pretty much caught up to us. We had a slight lead overall at the mark but the wind was so light that maintaing any speed going downwind was extremely difficult especially being surrounded by all these sailboats. I can remember plenty of times before when I rounded the upwind mark in 6th or 7th place and passed a bunch of boats going downwind. Well, this night almost everybody passed me. We finished 8th.

The next race was still very light air. We reached the top mark in 3rd but felt like we were dragging an anchor downwind and took another 8. We ended with a humiliating 20 points on the night. And I thought that I liked to sail in light air. With 20 points we are basically dead in the August series. I was so down, I told Kyle that I'm finished, can't do it anymore. "That's my last race." From now on I'm just going to sail for fun. Why ruin sailing by suffering the frustrations of racing. I quit.

8/09
Kyle talked me into racing again. Lets just race for fun. Whatever happens, happens. Lets not be over-competitive. Just enjoy the moment. After all it's better than being at work which is where I would be if I didn't leave early to go race. Lets just clear our minds, relax and sail. And so, we get a 1st, a 2nd and a 1st. And the 2nd was only by about a foot and a half. We sailed so fast and so well that I really don't remember much about it. Why would I ever think about quitting racing? It's fun! I think this was a "don't know anything but surpisingly you do" experience.

8/16
Tonight we have a genuine 'rock star' join our crew. For weeks Dave has been saying that he misses racing on Tuesday nights with the club and so finally he takes a day off and joins the party. In the first race we size up our competition and decide who we want to beat most then we gain a favorable position on him in the pre-start and off we go. Dave steers and Kyle & I crew. We achieve our goal and finish fourth, 3 boats ahead of our chosen competition and so we move up in the standings. In race #2, Kyle steers and does well. The wind is medium strength and it is a good thing that Dave & I have the weight to stabilize the boat. We finish 3rd, but our 'target' finishes first. He's good. Race #3, 3 legs, Kyle still steering, we beat our competition to the upwind mark (we are in second) but he passes us going downwind. On the beat to the finish we are slightly behind him and tack away. The next time we cross, we are ahead and we finish the race in second place and second overall for the night. Kyle steers beautifully and Dave's crew work is impeccable and his tactical calls are excellent. I think this was a "we know what we are doing and everything went well" experience. Have I mentioned that I really like racing? We celebrate in a Mexican restaurant with muchos Margaritas and an iced Tea for Kyle.

8/23
This is the last night of the series. We are tied for first in points with Matt and just one point ahead of Steve and five points ahead of Bob. First place in the series gets the big trophy and a name on the clubhouse wall. (Dave is there nine times!)

The wind is light and that's o.k. We sail nicely upwind (3 boats were over at the start and called back but we stayed clear) and reach the mark in second place just behind Bob. Matt is right behind us. Bob sails into some choppy water and we reach off left as does Matt. We reach back on starboard now and are slightly in first place with Denny running down mid-couse on port. We intercept Denny and declare our rights as a starboard boat but he refuses to get clear of us. He is basically fouling us but my real race is with Matt and so I jibe to cover him and we finish second to Denny with Bob third and Matt fourth. Steve is fifth. We are now two points ahead of Matt, four points ahead of Steve and six points ahead of Bob. We are feeling good! This is our night.

In the second race we get on top of Matt at the start and pretty much smother his sails but we are not sailing that well by focusing on him and so we tack away to get better speed. Except that the speed doesn't come. We try some adjustments but never really get going too well. We approach the layline on port in about fifth place with a starboard boat coming across us. Here I make my big mistake. I should have crossed behind the starboard boat but instead I tacked and I was under the layline with no place to go. By the time I was able to tack back all other boats passed me. I rounded the mark in last place and slow and never caught up with anyone. Hello 8th place and 8 points. Inconceivable! Steve finished first and Matt 4th. Uh oh.

Last race, three legs, we get a good clear start but still the boat is not moving that well. We tack and tack again to get something going but never get into our 'good groove' which is what really makes it happen for us. We are basically scratching and clawing our way upwind and get to the mark in second place behind Bob and just in front of Steve (which is always a good thing). The wind is very light now and we are all slow going downwind except that Matt is moving a little better where he is. We round the downwind mark in third, behind Matt and Bob (who bumps us after we gave him room, a foul which he ignores even after both Steve and I call it out) but ahead of Steve. And here begins the slowest leg of my life. What is going on? I can't steer (yes, I am steering now instaed of Kyle - what a mistake) at all. I'm not pinching, I'm not falling off...I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm choking actually. Nothing is going right. I really just can't move the boat. Where is my wind? Oh no, I'm having a "I don't think I know anything and I truly don't" experience. Everyone else is pointing better and going faster except one boat that actually manages to sail slower than I do. So we finish seventh for the race and the day. Yikes.

A small consolation.....we end up with 50 points, one better than Bob, and get the little 3rd place trophy. Steve gets second and Matt gets first. Matt was so happy that he did a little dance in the parking lot. I don't think anyone else saw it.

It has Arrived!

thanks dave! i owe ya 20 bucks!! plus postage!!! would you settle for 2 or 3 white's subs?

for caroline....

DSC_0019
Originally uploaded by lindachr.

saw this handsome fellow and immediately thought of you!

More Hats Than You Can Shake a Stick At

And yours is on its way!

Presentation of the Trophy

Last years winners



present the trophy



to this years winner!

Surfin' USA

All over Beach Haven and down Holgate way............the waves finally were great today! The tide change from low to high created two hours of great waves and Kyle & I worked them until our arms couldn't paddle for another. Actually, Kyle caught twice as many waves as I did. You should have been there. Tomorrow should also be a good wave day.

Talisman: An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection.

In a maelstrom of controversy, unparalleled by any of the previously thought contentious regattas, yours truly nevertheless came back from a dismal showing in the club’s “practice races” to secure the trophy amidst bad feeling and hurt pride. Day one, slightly less tumultuous than day two, was aided by able committee person Cathie and her inferior air horn. With Dave securing a tenuous first place at the end of the day, Linda and Ross (once again assisted by his able crew Caroline) tied for second, and Stuart and Kyle in close pursuit, it was anybody’s game. But the second day of racing spelled trouble for our earlier frontrunner, as Linda managed to cross the line first in all three races.

She attributes her remarkable success to three factors: unchecked confusion, rampant frustration and her assorted collection of talismans. “I knew that if I brought my plastic Madonna and lucky Sponge Bob shorts I could relax and everything would fall into place” she remarked. “In the interest of fairness and full disclosure, I let my opponents know about the Madonna but I chose to keep the shorts a secret.” The others apparently arrived without any such articles. In fact, Dave graciously relinquished his brand new “lucky Harvey Cedars Marina hat” to Linda the day before, not realizing its full potential.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the intimidation factor of Linda’s new class-legal sail numbers.

Most improved goes to Skipper Kyle, who pulled off an impressive second place finish in one race while at the same time managing to not capsize.

A Baseball Story

we have no internet access!

so no email, no blogging till maybe saturday if the phone gets fixed. mom and i are at an internet cafe in ship bottom right now. see you saturday.....

Who will be next

The King

Uuggga Booggga Kong!

Upgrades, anyone?

Class Approved Sunfish Upgrades

After final testing at the 2005 World Championships, two new International Sunfish Class approved upgrades for the Sunfish are available now.

Fiberglass Rudder Blade: The design profile for the fiberglass blade is the same as the wood model, with great surface finish and shape. The fiberglass blade also provides excellent durability. All future Sunfish Worlds Boats and Sunfish Pro Boats will be equipped from the factory with the FRP rudder blade. The new Fiberglass rudder blade is also available as an after market item.

Mast Sleeve: Sleeves for stiffening and strengthening the mast are now installed on all Sunfish masts. The stiffener consists of an aluminum sleeve inside the bottom of the mast section that inhibits lower mast bend for a stiffer more durable mast. A mast sleeve retrofit kit is available to equip previously purchased masts.

Checklist

1) At least 4 sailboats
2) A Kayak with anchor
3) Toolbox
4) Another toolbox
5) Markers for the course
6) 50 feet of hose & a nozzle
7) One half dozen sponges (large)
8) A strap or 30 feet of rope for cradle
9) Extension cord for hoist
10) Beer
11) Sunscreen
12) Beer
13) Shark repellant
14) Beer
15) Ice Chest
16) Knee brace (Stu)
17) PFD (Dave)
18) Defibrillator (Ross)
19) Trophy (Linda)

Is it possible to pinch a solar wind?

For those of you who don't read the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis, I recommend you to today's issue and, in particular, the Section B Science Journal article entitled "Mission on the Cheap Will Launch Spaceship That Uses Solar Sails." You have to pay a subscription fee for online service - this is the Wall Street Journal after all!

This coming Tuesday, Cosmos I will be blasting off out of a Russian nuclear submarine somewhere underneath the Barents Sea. Four days later (it is hoped), the rocket will pop open and eight 49-foot-long triangular sails (6,500 sq. ft. of sail area) will emerge and, if it works, the ship will be propelled by nothing more than the solar wind (apparently a space sailboat can reach speeds of 10,000 mph). And I still have difficulties raising the sail on a sunfish!

According to the Journal, "[a]s maneuverable as the sails on water-borne ships, solar sails can tack, which in theory means they could make ports of call at any planet." Of course it's in theory; can't you just imagine a skipper, traveling at 10,000 mph over the millions of miles of interstellar space, screaming "Ready about?" and his faithful crew yelling back "No! You're too early!"?

And when I asked for a second opinion, he said . . .

So . . . three weeks ago (the 17th), I was playing soccer in my usual competitive Tuesday night game. We were ahead by a couple of goals, but we've lost in this circumstance too many times before to take things easy. One of their strikers beats one of our defenders, so I slid over to pick him up. We both chased the ball at full speed, except (lucky me!) I got there first. He crashed straight into me - knee to knee - and I went down like a ton of bricks. I (literally) dragged myself off the pitch (because I couldn't bend my knee). As the sensation slowly came back, I decided to ice it down and apply a little medicinal alcohol. I called the local orthopedist the next morning, but he can't see me until the following Monday (the 23rd). Instead, I checked into the hospital for xrays (nothing's broken). Almost a week later, the orthopedist looks at me for all of about 5 minutes, tells me the medical equivalent of "somethin's hittin' somethin"' and sends me for an MRI. I immediately call for an appointment from the parking lot, but of course I need a precertification from the HMO, which doesn't come through for another 4 days (the 24th, aka the Friday of Memorial Day). I immediately call the radiologist, but there's no time available for an entire week (June 3rd). I get my MRI, and now I have to wait until the following Wednesday (the 8th) to go back to see the orthopedist (fortunately, I was smart enough to make the appointment before having the MRI). So it takes almost a month for me to find out that I have a "grade III peripheral tear in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus associated with complete anterior cruciate ligament tear, grade I mcl sprain, tibial plateau bone bruise and large joint effusion" - aka, a torn acl. But I'm not going in for surgery until after this year's regatta is over. After all, first things first!

The Second Annual Marge Christie Memorial Day Croquet Open

It was a beautiful day for the open - cool temperatures amid clear, sunny skies. With the south course temporarily taken out of commission, the decision was made to set up a short course on the east lawn. The grass was cut long, so a slow game was predicted. Graham (playing the black ball) leaps out to an early lead, but Caroline (playing blue) stays with him to the first stake. Stuart (playing red) roars past them as they struggle between themselves and looks to take an easy win . . . but wait! He gets caught in a bad lie in the mid-course trap! Steady strokes by Caroline lead to a lovely first-round victory, one stroke ahead of Stuart, who (finally out of the trap) just barely finishes a stroke ahead of Graham. Lauren (playing yellow, with some assistance from Cathie and her traditional playing stance) plays a solid game for fourth place, and Mom (playing green, and with a late start) comes in at the end. Game two, and all eyes are on Caroline. She jumps out to an early lead, but an unfortunate series of misstrokes leaves her stranded in the mid-course. Graham and Stuart race to the first stake and engage in a ferocious battle of ball-hitting. While they waste their precious strokes, Cathie (with her partner cheering her on) catches up at the stake, with Mom close behind. Caroline (finally out of the trap) gets back into the game, but it will prove to be too late for her. Graham, realizing the error of his ways, powers his way through the high grass and through the ninth and tenth wickets. Cathie and Stuart are left with no options but to try and keep up . . . but to no avail. Graham closes out the game nicely, a clear stroke ahead of Stuart who finishes one stroke ahead of Cathie. Mom closes out with a solid fourth and Caroline, despite a strong run from behind, ends up with a fifth.

The 28th Annual Oceanside to Southwestern Yacht Race

Kyle and I have been racing regularly on Tuesday evenings on San Diego Bay with the Harbor Sailboats Club. Usually all 14 boats compete in three races and we have been fortunate enough to actually finish first in a couple of races. Kyle mostly steers and I do all the crew stuff. Kyle is learning fast and we are getting to be pretty competitive. Mistakes are made of course but we are learning from our mistakes. We did pretty well in May and finished the series second over all.

Last week Kyle and I were invited by a club member and major racing competitor, Steve McNally (an excellent sailor and fine gentleman), to sail in a 36 mile ocean race from Oceanside to Point Loma aboard a 47 foot sailboat (El Sueno) of which he is a regular crew member. We gladly accepted the invitation. So, on Sunday May 29 we became the ninth & tenth members of El Sueno's crew. Kyle, because he is young and perhaps an up & coming sailing star, got the royal treatment by Brad Alberts, the skipper & owner. Kyle got a special tour of the boat, an explanation of the instruments, the sails, he got to steer the boat in the race, sit along side Brad and discuss tactics and he got to trim the spinnaker. I got to grind winches and help haul in the spinnaker during a sail change and of course sit on the rail. Actually I enjoyed every minute of it to the max. It was like a dream come true. It was work but it was fun. And, neither Kyle nor I fell overboard which was my only fear. There were times that we got the boat moving at 9+ knots which is pretty fast. There were some 'yahoos' from the crew when we really got going!

One cool thing is that of the 50 or so boats in the regatta we were part of a class of 11 boats including a boat named Valhalla of which Dave was a crew member. Although we were the first boat to cross the finish line, because we were one of the biggest boats we were handicapped to a corrected time whereby we gave time to smaller boats to allow for the differences in sizes & speed ratios, and therefore we ended finishing in fifth place in our class. What a great day!

RESULTS FOR CLASS PHRF-3
START DATE: 05/29/2005 START TIME: 11:30:00 DISTANCE: 38.25
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PLC HCAP SAIL# BOAT SKIPPER TYPE CLUB FINISH ELAPSED CORRECTED MARGIN
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1 78.00 42733 MALEFICENT CHRIS BENNETT BEN425 CRA 29/16:29:30 4:59:30 4:09:47 LEAD
2 84.00 56266 VALHALLA A&C RASDAL BEN367 SWYC 29/16:50:39 5:20:39 4:27:06 0:17:19
3 72.00 67745 MASQUERADE TIM COKER CHOATE SGYC 29/16:46:16 5:16:16 4:30:22 0:20:35
4 36.00 69408 MISTRESS TOM LAFLEUR SWAN53 SDYC 29/16:23:22 4:53:22 4:30:25 0:20:38
5 18.00 46307 EL SUENO BRAD ALBERTS BEN477 CRA 29/16:13:07 4:43:07 4:31:39 0:21:52
6 96.00 52266 DELIVERANCE DAN SWETT HUNT41 MBYC 29/17:03:44 5:33:44 4:32:32 0:22:45
7 81.00 36764 ARIEL ASARO/SIMON/VORGE BEN367 SDYC 29/16:54:26 5:24:26 4:32:48 0:23:01
8 24.00 51477 COUP D'ETAT RON ELSASSER BEN477 SWYC 29/16:19:23 4:49:23 4:34:05 0:24:18
9 84.00 7085 SORDINO JEFF LASTOFKA BEN376 OYC 29/17:00:53 5:30:53 4:37:20 0:27:33
10 72.00 37133 SAUDADE STEVE LINK S&S47 OYC 29/17:04:11 5:34:11 4:48:17 0:38:30
11 66.00 56345 TE MATAU GREG RITTER BEN473 SWYC 29/17:15:26 5:45:26 5:03:22 0:53:35