Race Committee Boat

SHIP'S LOG:

Being the Race Committee Boat for one of the Major Regattas of the area cna be a lot of fun, so long as you are willing to all but surrender complete control of your boat to someone else.

Saturday ABISHAG had to be at the dock, in a reserved slip, by 1300hrs so that the Race Committee could begin her transformation. Truth be told, they really didn't get there to almost 1700hrs(5pm) but made up for being late with a whole lota race stuff that had to find its way aboard. Having created all this new space by restoring all my stuff, that filled up all the new empty space with their stuff. There were two wooden b oxes filled with wooden placques, bearing numbers and letters an d symbols and signs and class designations that would all be used to mark out the course for the various classes of boats in the race. There was also the course board upon which the aforementioned course(s) would be set up for the races to see and record sxo that each would know where they were going. There were large flags on long poles that represented a dozen or so letters and numbers which would actually be used to indicate which class was starting when, when a start was good, when here was a recall, when was the time for preparation and when the race began for each class. With some 58 boats ranging in size from 23 - 50 feet. it would be chaotic asnd dangerous to have tme all start at once. Basically, the slowlest classes start frist, the fastest last, so that, hopefully, they all finish fairly close together and the Race committee doesn't have to sit there too long waiting for the very last boat.

The also brought rod holes in which to insert that flag pole and affixed these on stanchions all over the boat. They removed my BBQ grill so that could make use of more stanchions and removed my club burgee, which was judged "too small" and replaced it with one of more "impressive" size. Evidently size does matter!

They removed my navy chaplains pennent and replace it with the Blue, White and Red "RC" flag denoting the boat as the Race Committee BOat. (Hitting the Race Committee boat during the race is an automatica disqualifier!) The also put on boat several bags filled with radioes, air horns, shotguns(2), shot gun shells(blanks), mapes, tons of paper work relating to the race, along with beer, soda, wine, water and lots of ice, both cubes and blocks. Their work completed, they left to get some sleep as we had an early day tomorrow.

I had to be up and running by 6am or I would be shut out of the bathroom in the club house by the crowds. I finished up by 6:45 when the coffee (yeah!) and doughnuts made their appearnace. By 8am, the Race Committee in toto wasdescending o the boat. There was the TYC Race Secretary(Cal), the Race Coordinator (Judy), the three recorders (Sylvie, Caroline, & Maryellen),
the Race Time Keeper(Jeff), the Gunner(Bob) - he obviously fires the gun at certain times during the starting procedures and at the finshish, and two extra hands(Lois & Paul). So there were 10 people on the boat for the race. The good thing was they brought food for 20!

We got away from the dock without injuring anyone or anything and headed out toward the "vicinity of Vixens Ledge." We got out there and the wind was a steady 15-18knts out of the East and the Race Secretary and Race Coordinator spent 15 minutes determining the best course. Once that was determined, I moved ABISHAG to the Starb oard end of the starting line they had laid out and the anchor was dropped. We anchord in 41 feet of water and the "hands" put out about 100 feet of rode. This was nowhere near enough to hold 11 tons of boat for long so eventually, after things were settled, I ha dot let out more to keep us from dragging. A moving Race Committee boat, that is one end of the start/finish line, is not a good thing.

For about an hour, we just waited around while the racers swept in close to the boat os that the recorders could mark them present. In a pretty good breeze and chop, having a 44 foot bat dive down toward you and then peel away at what seems like the last second can be a bit unnerving.

Once it was determined that it was 10:55, something decided not by a clock but by the Rce Time Keeper, the countdown began which would send of the 6 classes of boats in five minute intervals.
1.) Five minutes before the start of the first class, the warning signal was given - the class flag was displayed and the gun fired;
2.) at 4 minutes, the Preparatory signal was given - Flag "P" was displayed and a short horn blown;
3.) qt 1 minute, the One Minute Signal - the Flag "P" was taken down and the a long horn blown;
4.) at zero, the Starting signal - the Class flag comes down and the gun is fired.

That whole sequence was done for each of the 6 classes and they were all off to the races. After that, there was nothing for us to do but monitor the radio for disasters, eat lunch, drink wine and beer and soda, watch the racing if interested and share war stories of what it was like in our youth when we were "serious" racers.

The race was over in 4 hours. One boat had its steering cable part and so lost steering during a spinnaker run. They had "an exciting moment or two" before they got things under control, though they had to send for a tow to get back in. One boat had its prop shaft become disengaged from the transmission - probably hooked a lobster pot at speed, but were very lucky it didn't pull the prop shaft our of the boat. Odds are that had it, it would have sunk the boat. They got back safe and sound, though damp! Another boat got a lobster trawl - a line containing several pots - wrapped about its keep and were unable to disengage it and so limped back to the club, taking consolation in what they were dragging. A few more of the small boats found the wind and waves too much( some boats like "the Ensign) don't have automatic drains and you have to bail the water out or sink!) and "retired" from the race . . . . and were first to the open bar, chowder and chicken wings!

The racing was spirited, the results were close and were headed in and were at the dock by 1530hrs. The Race Committee then stripped the boat of all of their paraphernalia and were gone. It was a great time and I was happy to help out and the party afterward was superb!

The only down side is that it is now Tuesday and I still haven't gotten ABISHAG back together yet!