Took a kayak out for lunch. Surprised to see the creek looking so fall-like!
Then a full day of checking race flags, course boards, putting Amendments to the SIs on the Notice Board and finally trashing out on RAINBOW. Slept like a sloth. I did get a little chilly though. October.
Last regular series race at BCYA...and we could have really used it. It was light and we do very, very well in light. But the RC thought it was too light. Differences of opinions exist. But anyway it was a short but enjoyable evening on the water.
Plus: it gets dark at 7pm.
OK. Granted we only sailed a couple of miles, beam reaches over to the south shore and back. But we know that the cove is one of our favorite places on the river so we just came back in and anchored there. It was getting dark and our nav lights aren't exactly state-of-the-art.
Plus we didn't even leave the dock until 1607 hrs.
But what a beautiful afternoon, having not seen the sun for the past 8 days. Just after sundown some clouds rolled in and it was obvious it was going to drizzle if not out-and-out rain. We were fairly well sheltered from the ENE breeze and the amount of boat wakes making it around the rock sea wall to the south were minimal and for the most part, went unnoticed.
Our LOPs started to look goofy about 2100 hrs so we redeployed and threw out a bigger danforth. Good holding ground and alway a pleasure when the anchor comes up clean of mud. At times during the night we heard the breeze pipe up enough to sound a bit unsettling in the rigging. But we think this was just due to a light squall that went thru and one that sent us scrambling to get crew, sleeping in the cockpit, down below and also put in the hatch boards.
The morning dawned the same gray soggy mess we've seen for the past week, so we turned toward home instead of the river (for a morning sail).
All-in-all a successful and enjoyable impromptu weekend jaunt. Meanwhile a few miles to the south, the CAL-25 North American Championship were being held...and well, we just cruised instead.
Man, what a weird night. So much went wrong. Jib peel. Jib hoist. Spinn hoist. Sail call. Etc.
We were bad last week and we were bad this week. I got to the boat and that's when the rain started. Just like last week. I thought it was Groundhog Day. Same sky, same light.
And then racing, it went just about the same way. Different mistakes but same result.
I got home and switched on the tube to watch the last few innings of the O's game. Our TV opens to some sort of Samsung movie channel or some such offering. I really don't know. But I looked up and there was Bill Murray talking to Andie MacDowell.
Groundhog Day.
At least petrol prices are low...
Had to relax after a sales call involving a boat. Got a paddle in to enjoy the beginning of fall colors on the creek.
Ugh, a wet night and a less than stellar performance on BOXCAR. Found a hole from hell and watched the entire fleet sail away. Luckily, there is beer. Beer exists.
Earlier that day, paddling on the creek, spotted a bunch of turkey vultures circling shore in the wooded point south of the club. They let me ghost on by very closely, just hung there in the trees a dozen yards away, Kind of creepy and I have no idea why they were hanging around so calmly.
Quick paddle in the creek before a disappointing football game. Oh well, at least one thing was positive that day.
Spent 5 - 6 hours working on the i550 I am selling and then decided to chill out thru rush hour in a kayak instead of a traffic jam. Weird little water snake kept stalking me though. I don't know much about water snakes and I'm not sure if anyone does. I'm sure there's a herpetologist somewhere who knows a helluva lot more than I do, which is: nothing. But if I were a snake, I'd sure as heck want to live on the warm land rather than the cold water.
Anyway, this one kept following me along the small rock jetty out closer to the mouth of the creek. Curiousity? Hunger? Disgust? I have no idea what motivates a water snake.
I do know they bite hard.
Got to weeknight race two days in a row, a bullet the night before and a deuce this evening.
It was light and the RC boat mercifully hoisted the SIERRA flag. We got a 2nd.
Beautiful night!
There are conditions where we know we'll do well if we just don't screw things up. Sept 10 was one of those nights. We stayed in breeze, handled sails adequately and let the boat do it's thing, which is hard to beat in 6-9 kn. TW.
Fun night and even the Orioles won (I think)