Fog! Fog! Wind! Rain! More Fog! !! ! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:


    The last few days have been a strange combination of weather. The mornings have been especially foggy. Not just the common morning fog you often get  the summer, but long-lasting, can't-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face type fog. About 80% of it burns off the river by noon, but it remains in place on the Sound. Strangely, we are getting some crackerjack winds which normally tend to blow the fog away but the don't seem to be able to do so. The heat and humidity which create the fog over the cool water seem to be able to produce it fast than the winds can blow it away. Strange!

     We lucked out on Saturday for the inaugural  Calvin Brouwer Memorial Race.  We woke up to on and off showers, and rain, and wind, and it looked as though we were going to have a not fun time. The fog was so thick that the fellow that was to be stationed at the windward mark in his boat couldn't make it over from Pawcatuck where he lives, at least not in the boat he was planning to use. since I was working with him and my boat was here, we decided to use mine. A Bimini and a dodger is a good thing to have in the rain.

     The Race Committee Boats left about 9:30 and got to Vixen's Ledge by 10 and we motored around while the Race Committee tried to decide on a course and then set it up in an attempt to get the race off  at noon. Since John and I were the Windward Mark Boat, once the starting line was set, we had to "race" out 2.5 miles from it to drop the Windward Mark.  One the way out, I had to tie the TETRAHEDRON, a large floating geometric shape that looks like two triangles stuck together, to 100 feet of line and to an anchor and get prepared to drop it on command once we got on station.  we would then sit there, make sure it didn't move, and record all the boats that went around it to make sure no one took any shortcuts. The Race Committee had just begun the starting sequence for the first class of boats when the wind shifted and a whole new course had to be laid out. In the end, they decided to use a government mark off Fishers Island and we had to motor over there an do the recording of the boats going round the mark. It can be a tad on the boring side, but the rain had stopped and the wind had picked up and the sun had come out and there is something very entertaining watching a whole bunch of boats trying to round a mark at the same time at high speed. Words,  but no paint, were traded and everyone made it safely to party at TYC after the race.

     This morning looks to be a repeat of the past few - lots of fog, humidity, little air and growing heat. This is the strangest summer weather-wise I can remember.