What would you do?

[bamamick]

I have a race tomorrow and I have to launch the boat this evening. Right now the sky is purple-black and it is storming all around us. This has been the weather pattern for us for the past two weeks. My yard is turning into a sort of green and brown goop, and I have watched a house down the road from me turn from a dirty white to a dirty green over the last couple of weeks.

Anyway, if lightning is popping overhead when I go to launch I obviously won't do it, but I am squeezed for time (I will get there at 4pm and the skipper's meeting and registration is at 6pm) and can't wait too long. The weather for the morning is supposed to be stormy, as we will finally get a much-needed cold front sometime in the mid-morning. Heavy thunderstorms and rain are predicted, and then clearing as the front comes through with a north/northwest breeze.

This race is in my Dragon, and will be the first since she sunk at the dock in March. My crew is my very experienced buddy and my youngest daughter, who has been on the Dragon once. So, knowing what you now know about the weather tomorrow, would you go? Would you launch in the rain and then wait 'til tomorrow and see? Or, would you just call it and plan for the next one (in mid-September).

As of right now I am pretty sure we are going. I just wonder if others go through this process or do they just soldier on regardless of the weather? I seem to worry about this kind of thing endlessly.

Mickey Lake
Dragon USA149

[Pirate-at-heart]

wow, with hurricane bill out there today and tomorrow, I would probably decline the invitation.

then again, I am a scaredy-cat in general.
good luck to you either way.

[nedL]

I'd say hurricane Bill isn't even a factor where you are. If it were me & I had a safe place to leave her overnight I'd probably drop her in tonight & make my decision in the morning. (Keeping in mind my daughter's experience level & not wanting to give her a bad experience.) If you are set to race & don't mind the prep work you can always cancel at a moment's notice.

[bamamick]

No, the hurricane is not a factor.

The forecast for tomorrow has improved somewhat. If I can get her in it's no problem. I really just wondered what other people's thought processes were about such things?

Once upon a time I would sail no matter what, but that was several thousand dollars worth of damage ago. Now my rule seems to be if they are predicting above 20 I will not go. Gusts TO 20 I can handle, but not sustained 20 with gusts above that.

Mickey Lake

[rbgarr]

Are the other boats that race already in the water?

[bamamick]

Dave, I am not sure who all is going. The J/22's, J/24's, and Olsen 25's are on trailers. I will find out who is going tonight, I suppose. I really don't expect much of a turnout, honestly. This is about our crummiest time of the year to sail.

Mickey Lake

[Bob Cleek]

The analysis is pretty simple. You sail for fun, don't you? So... do you think it's going to be fun? If so, go. If not, find something else fun to do. It isn't fun going out and getting the crap beat out of you and your boat, not for me, at least. I did a lot of crazy stuff when I was a kid, but you get older and smarter.

[willmarsh3]

Weather is suppose to be nice tomorrow: http://www.wunderground.com/US/AL/Mobile.html

I'd do it.
It supposed to be nice up here as well. I'm looking to do an informal Sunfish race.

[koolhistorian]

wait and see!

[bamamick]

She's in, and I just got home soaked to the skin. Rained for three solid hours.

Boat's in. I am registered. The latest forecast calls for sun and 6 knots from the NNW (not Dragon weather at all), but we will go have a sail.

Mickey Lake

[Rich VanValkenburg]

Mr. Cleek beat me to it, sailing is supposed to be fun. Years ago I raced with Captain Ahab Biggronicles. I think he tried to see what it would take to blow out every sail on the boat. Not fun. Sail if it's not at the expense of the boat and crew.

There's a point where the forces that are exerted on the boat overcome the means to control them.

[rbgarr]

Racing can be fun when it's a challenge. Extreme light air on a very hot day, or blasting winds and driving rain might not be relaxing and what some would call enjoyable from a comfort point of view but it can be intellectually challenging, a test of patience, seamanship, boat handling and knowing your boat's strengths and weaknesses. I've come home from both really energized.

Sort of like links golf on a gusty, cold day. It's an acquired taste! :D

[bamamick]

I lay down last night at 9pm to read for awhile and the bottom dropped out. I got up and looked at the internet and everything around here showed red on the radar screen. I just looked at my wife and said 'I've got to go check on the boat'. My youngest daughter said she'd go with me, so we drove the 50 miles one-way through driving rain to the yacht club.

The first thing I saw was that the rig was vertical. Then I saw her floating just fine on her lines. When I got in her there was a couple of gallons in the bilge and that was it. Apparently it hadn't rained on Dog River anywhere like what we thought. Took about 30 seconds to pump her out. Drove home and made it by 11:30. It's odd, but I never would have slept at all if I hadn't checked on the boat.

So, we're off. It's weird, but people who read this thread may not understand that I have sailed literally thousands of races in my time. But I still get a nervous stomach before almost every single one of them.

Mickey Lake

[Larks]

Good luck with it mate, looking forward to hearing the outcome!!

[Mrleft8]

Slay 'em Mickey! :D
(Get it?....."Slay"...."Dragons"...... :D )

[RFNK]

What would I do? After your recent experience, I'd do exactly what you did - of course!! :D

You'll be interested to know that a few weeks ago, a neighbour's fibreglass Finn - it's about a 30' motorsailer - sank on its mooring. Fortunately for him though, the boat has short bilge keels only so we were able to dive down and get a sling around the hull and drag it to higher ground. All ended fairly happily - the engine needed a major overhaul and all electronic gear was ruined but otherwise, all's well. Rick

[bamamick]

Made it back alive once again!

Geez, I thought this was going to be one of those froo frooey things that pass for big boat sailing around here now. Two windward leewards and an hour and a half later you are back in thinking what a great sailor you are. Nah! I will give it to the Mobile Yacht Club. They don't have much in the way of a one design program, but when they race they go race. We were on the water for about six hours. Thank goodness we were blessed with about the strongest cold front we have seen in a long time and wound up having a great day.

Before we left the dock the new spin halyard that I rigged after the sinking got stuck in the sheave. It worked fine when we were rigging it, but not today. We kept working with it until we at least got it useable, which was good because half the race was a run and then a tight spinnaker reach to Middle Bay Lighthouse.

Then, about a minute before the start the sheave holding the wire for the port runner came apart and we had no runner. I tied it with a piece of Spectra but it didn't work too well, so I can say with absolute certainty that you CAN sail a Dragon in winds up to 15 knots with no runner and not do anything terrible to your rig. Either that or we were really lucky.

Can't think of anything else that broke. My back is sore and my hands are a mess (I had to raise the 'chute because of how hard it was to get up, and I forgot my gloves. I hate gloves anyway.) There were about 20-25 boats out there and we were about the 7th or 8th to finish. We beat a Pearson Flyer and a Capri 30 scratch so I guess that's not too bad. No one we give time beat us, and a bunch of them that give us time were behind us. Don't have a clue how we did, but I know we didn't finish last.

After tieing up and washing down my kid and I went to a farewell party for my boss, who is going home to Germany after a two year stint, and then met my wife at Wintzell's Oyster House for dinner. All in all a pretty nice day!

Mickey Lake

[C. Ross]

Sounds like a great day, Mickey! Did your daughter enjoy it?

[bamamick]

Chris, she does like it. This is her second trip on the Dragon, and I think that she enjoys it. We are scheduled to do it again in four weeks.

She is also seeing a side of her dad she has never seen before. Made me fairly nervous at first, but she likes seeing me and my buddy (who she has called 'Mr. Bob' since she was able to first talk) run into problems and try to solve them, or discuss things before we do them. I enjoyed listening to him give her a lecture on flying a spinnaker today.

I have been very, very blessed with my family, every one of them. I have also been incredibly blessed in my lifetime by having this good friend who for over twenty years has been quite happy sailing with me in anything from Stars to 5.5's to J/24's to Dragons. Truly, a good, good friend.

Mickey Lake

[Thad]

Three cheers!!!

[nedL]

So glad to hear that a good time was had by all!

[willmarsh3]

Was that weather nice this weekend or what! Highs around 80 sunny and low humidity - and wind both days. :) :)

[bamamick]

It's amazing how this lower humidity puts a spring in your step. I had my guys out working like badgers this morning with nary a word from me to get with it! I have already walked a couple of miles this morning and still feel pretty spry!

Mickey Lake

[bamamick]

Just for closure's sake, we wound up second in Portsmouth, beaten by a Sabre 36! That rascal was very fast upwind.

Mickey Lake

[nedL]

Congratulations!