Winning

As I've mentioned in other blogs - we have taken up sailing and I sail on a Sydney Harbor racing team on Friday nights. Kim joins us when the winds and seas are reasonable because she gets bruised easily when we get tossed around. She shows me each bruise every day until it is completely faded away. She even shows her mom the bruises on Skype. It makes me feel guilty. Her doctor is going to think I'm abusing her.

There are normally about 30 yachts in each race.

We both prefer casual "cruising" to racing - but the experience that we get in these sessions is priceless and will help us be better sailors as we pursue this after we leave Australia.

As a 50-y-o new guy  - it is a humbling experience to be the dumbest guy on the crew. But Gene, our skipper, and David, first mate, have done their best to make me feel welcome and they involve me in tasks that are above my grade so that I can get the experience.

Early in my "training" I joined another crew in Melbourne for a race. The boat was different than any I was used to and the conditions were much more extreme than in the protected harbour. My friend Scott got us invited on the boat. Scott has no official training and we were both trying to stay out of the way. At one point the waves were crashing over the side of the boat and our boom had broached and the skipper shouted "Throw the Vang!!!!" Everyone was looking at Scott and me. We were just trying to stay out of the way and not get swept into the Tasman Sea. "Throw the Vang" everyone started shouting at once. I looked around, puzzled. I was able to figure out that "Vang" meant the Boom Vang. Then I was able to trace the sheet (fancy word for rope) to a line stopper and I happened to be the one located closest to the stopper.

I had never heard the term "throw" in this context - but, again, I was able to figure out that I needed to jerk the sheet out of the stopper to release tension... so I gave it a mighty tug with my wrist. Nothing. Most of my body was clutching onto something attached so I wouldn't fall off - so all I had left to invest in "throwing" was a girly flip of the wrist. Another tug. Nothing.

"Throw the F**king VANG:!!!!"the Skipper (not Gene) screamed at me.

With a 25 not wind full-on the large mainsail - it required all of my strength to eventually get the sheet "thrown". I lost my balance and fell onto the wet deck surrounded by our empty floating beer cans.

Humiliating experience.

During other races in Sydney Harbour we've experienced catastrophic equipment failure and even a collision - but this past Friday night we crossed the line first! It makes all of the humiliation and blisters and bruises and screaming worth it! We crossed the finish line first and turned to see 29 yachts chasing us with the sun setting behind them - it was a great moment that I will remember forever.

Here is a photo of the winning ceremony at the Manly Yacht Club after the race. David is sitting next to me. We won a bottle of wine. That is customary for Friday Night yacht racing. They race yachts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and risk injury and sharks... all for a bottle of wine.