Another Shitty Day In Paradise!!!!

SHIP'S LOG:

Sunday last was the day of the Governor's Regatta. I didn't race in it but with the help of friends I was scheduled to work as part of the race committee. We were scheduled to be the "Windward Mark Boat." What this entails is setting a floating mark in the water 1 1/2 to 2 miles upwind from the starting line on a course "absolutely perpendicular" to the staring line. Once the mark was set, we would back off a hundred yards or so and watch to 1.) mark sure the mark stayed in place; and 2.) that everyone went around it the right way. I say "scheduled" to be the windward mark for the direction of the wind made us unnecessary. There was a fixed "navigational aide" at the approximate location we would have occupied, so we were given the sincere thanks of the race committee and with a cooler of beer and sandwiches, lunch for the race committee works, we were set free to sail for the afternoon. The wind was great , the skies were clear, the beer was cold, the sandwiches tasty and the sailing fantastic. True, by the time the race was over and everyone was ashore it was pouring rain, but who cared at that point.

I have found one serious drawback to living on a boat by yourself: pride of onwership. The reason it is a drawback is that you get the boat and everything on it situated just the way you like it and want it and having visitors messes the whole works up. On Sunday, I dropped the crew on the dock and sent them off to get started on the "Dark & Stormies", while I took ABISHAG back out to the mooring. I then had to go through the entire boat and put everything back in order. What a pain in the patoot! And what some people do with line! I thought macrame went out with the '60's!

Monday the wind was honking at a steady 15knots with gust in the 30's. Not really having used the Mizzen much this season, I had to condition it by greasing the tracks. I took the opportunity to arrange the baby back stays so they were more out of the way. I only need them when using the Mizzen at less than fully close hauled, but they are in the way all of the time. I affixed them to the shrouds for the Mizzen and now they seem out of the way. I bought a $4 solar powered walk light and affixed it to a stanchion. It got enough sun so that it lit up pretty well at night. I might pick up a couple more so that traversing the deck at night will be a little safer.