This past weekend I participated in a sailing race for the first time. I helped out on a sailboat called the Ultimate 20. The crew typically consists of two to three people. The first day was action packed as we participated in three separate races against similar boats. The race committee sets up bouys that we must race around. The wind was strong and we even got a little rain toward the end of the day.
The second day was a little longer and little slower. It was a gorgeous day and the city looked so calm and quiet from my vantage point. The race was against 167 different boats of all different sizes and styles. It’s traditional to wear costumes for this race. So I wore my official pirate hat along with my sailing gear.
The course started in Point Richmond and then circled around Alcatraz and Angel Island and then back to Point Richmond. Everything was going great until we turned the corner around Angel Island. We were even beating every boat in our class. That’s when we hit the doldrums. We went from gliding around the islands to complete boat graveyard. We toughed it out and eventually the wind cooperated. But our main competitor creeped up on us and we came in second in our class by a mere 30 seconds. Sadly, it was too wet for me to bring my camera but luckily Simon had his iphone to take some pictures.
Photos provided by Simon Dvorak.
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