Bad Ending

The day started with no wind, built a bit and the Race Committee sent us out. The line was good, the air was OK, light at 3-6 maybe with a few 2-3 areas. I wanted to start center line just getting on the front row. I got caught up with a novice sailor and had to spin out and duck. That put me 30 seconds late for my plan and I ended up bailing to the pin. I won the pin but it was very much the wrong side of the course. The right shift came soon after the start. I took sterns trying to get right. I ended up about 25th place at the top mark, very bad.

The wind started easing up to make downwind very frustrating. The second upwind I needed a miracle so I banged a corner, and lost ground. There were 6 boats behind me.

By the top mark the wind was 0-1 from nowhere. We drifted the last two legs. I drifted better than many around me and clawed my way back to a 22nd place.

I ended up losing the tiebreaker for 8th overall, 2 points out of 6th, 7 points out of 4th. Like golf, you remember the last hole more than the entire day. I walk away from this regatta with a rough feeling that I blew it. All I had to do was follow around a hot shot and finish 12th or so to get 4th overall.

People say "Ah well, it's a lesson learned." I'm 46. I should have learned that lesson long ago.

I almost had a good start to the season. Instead I have a bitter taste from a lame start.

Next regatta is possibly April.

Between now and then I am concentrating on Indoor Drumline season.

Train Wreck Day 1

Pretty darn good day.

I am sitting in 4th place after three races. Finishes are 6, 8, and 6.

I woke up this morning, kicked open the door, streched my legs and aired the stink out of the car (yes I slept in my car intentionally). It was cool, mostly sunny, and windy.

After breakfast I set about rigging the boat and getting ready. It was a borrowed boat with modifications I needed to get familiar with. The forecast was for a front to pass through midday, 10-15 in front of it and 10-15 after with 15-20 during its passing. When we set out to the course it was all I could handle.

I also very quickly realize how old, fat, and out of shape I am when I got tired limping along to the start.

I started mid line sag 1.5 lengths in front of anyone around me. Top mark I was 10th or so and worked my way up to 5-6 range through good upwind and an ocaasional good downwind. In fact I can sya this about each race. I stared mid line front row with clear air in all three.

The whole day I was challenged with the boat modifications. The mainsheet constantly got tangled in the double end block and cleats, and any line falling next to the traveller blocked its movement. Most tacks were failures. I lost a lot of distance on boat handling, probably 2 or 3 places in each race.

Race 1 was heavy with big right side gains. Race 2 was medium/heavy with right side gains and one left sied win (course changes got ahead of the clocking wind). I picked them all correctly.

Race 3 was light, post-front and 90 degrees different from 1 and 2. It was fogged and misted in with no visibility of the mark or shores. I flipped a coin and went left, way left. When people appeared out of the fog to see the mark and fleet, it was a crap shoot to see where you were. I was overstood a bit and left most boat. I rounded 12th or so. The rest of the race was sunny with a LOT of hard decisions on shifts and puffs. I did better than most actually ending up only a 150 feet or so behind the winner. I was in a pack battling for 4th through 10th. I made huge gains right and had to come in underneath a line of boats from the left. It was one of those cases where if I crossed I would be 4th, blow the tack and finish 10th. I did the best I could with the cards dealt.

I'm really happy with the results. If we get 2 races in tomorrow regardless of finished I will have had a good regatta to start the season.

Now I'm off to Walmart to get a pillow.

Trying to Get South

The Storm of the Century, they called it. The most snow since whenever. 6,000 flights cancelled. And what did we get? MAYBE 3 inches.

I was cancelled off 5 flights. I'm currently scheduled to get to Florida Friday. Let's hope that happens. I'd like to sail.

Regatta by Air

This weekend will be the first time I will compete in a regatta getting there by air. I have been generously loaned a boat for the Train Wreck regatta in Florida. This is the regatta where I purchased my boat last year. So it is the one year anniversary of sailing MC-Scows.

So there are a couple challenges wit hthis regatta. First, I haven't sailed, worked out, or even slightly exercised since sailing ended last year. I am woefully out of shape.

Second, I have to pack whatever I need and carry it with me including a sail. I took a coupe hours today to clear out my family room furniture, unroll the sail, fold and roll it, pack it in a tube, and put the tube in a ski bag. It should be good to go. I emptied my scuba gear bag and started filling it with gear: life jacket, boots, rain gear, gloves, glasses and such. The bag is 2/3 full and I still need to pack clothes.

On top of this I am putting the regatta into a business trip, meaning I still have to pack the business clothes and laptop bag with reports. It ends up being a week long trip.

Last year at this time there was a nasty storm crossing the country as far north as Pennsylvania and as far south as North Carolina. It made the drive interesting to say the least. This year the storm is hitting as I try to fly. We'll see if I even get there.

A month ago this regatta was a 20% possibility, two weeks ago the business trip plans fell in line to make it work, maybe a 90% chance of sailing. I hope I get to sail.

I've been sailing competetively since I was about 10, winning my first junior regatta at 12. But living in NY this means sailing from June through September. Each WInter by March or April I would be stir crazy, really going through withdrawl, not so much sailing withdrawl but competition withdrawl. I miss the chess match aspect, the intensity of a close race.

Graduating to E-Scows and getting a drivers license allowed me to sail some regattas starting around Easter and ending in late September. In college these were full blown road trips, coolers, tents, all night travel, the works. We could do a regatta for the cost of gas, registration, beer, a loaf of bread and some peanut butter (and Dad's boat).

Later when I had a real job I would do regattas with hotels, day travel, time off from work, etc. The cost jumped way up. Well I have two kids about to need college tuition. I'm back to cheap regattas. I have to figure out how to get back to basics.

MC-Scows have a great regatta schedule, but it isn't very local to the Northeast.

2011 Season is Starting

I am confirmed to sail my first regatta of the year, the Train Wreck regatta in Lake Eustice, FL, the first weekend in February. At this regatta last year I purchased my boat. For this one, I hope to borrow a boat. I just so happen to be in Jacksonville for a businss trip. What a coincidence.

In the off season athletes train constantly to keep in tip top shape. The schedule for training may be easier in the off season with a bit more relaxed approaches. With me, I emphasized the relaxed approach more than the exercise. So I am completely and totally out of shape. I did get reading glasses for the first time in my life.

Time to kick-start the season. I'm going to drop a few ponds before the event, and maybe even start some sort of exercise plan. Yeah... I think I will. Sure.

So if I can find the money, time, and approval, my plan is to sail this regatta schedule:

• 2/5-2/6 Train Wreck, Lake Eustice, FL
• 4/30-5/1 Cow Town Classic, Hoover SC, OH
• 5/14-5/15 Scowabunga, Privateer YC, TN
• 6/4-5 MC Horse Race, Saratoga, NY (new this year!)
• 8/4-8/7 Western Michigans, Crystal Lake, MI (tentative)
• 9/10-9/11 nor'Easterns, Keuka Lake, NY
• 9/14-9/17 National Championships, Keuka Lake, NY
• 9/24-9/25 MCSA Blue Chip Championship, Spring Lake, MI (if I qualify)
• 10/1-10/2 Cowan Scow'n, Cowan Lake, OH (probably not though)

Now that I have all this on one page, it is a lot, maybe too much. but I'm not getting any younger. I've always wanted to do a full campaign. Maybe this year is the year. But it means I will miss most of the marching band season, which I really enjoy as much as sailing. It's my kid after all!

I'll have to ponder. Maybe early season success will convince me to persist. Or early season flops will teach me I'm just a local hack sailor and should stay with that.

Time will tell.

Fourth Place at Nationals Seems Like a Long Time Ago

The kids finished fourth at USSBA Nationals in Annapolis, MD, just two Saturdays ago. And already band season seem like a distant memory.

Tonight was the first meeting for Indoor Drumline. We got the schedule, the speeches about commitment, the price (OMG), and the theme. This year’s show is “The Glass is Half…”

So of course we had to go out and do the research tonight. As we (a couple parents only) changed the levels of beer in our glasses we analyzed it for being “Half…”

I’m excited about this year. Both kids are trying out yet again. They should both make it unless they really blow the tryout. It’ll be fun. This will be the last event both kids will be in. So from now until April (yes the season is 5 months long) we will savor the experience.

Victor Marching Blue Devils are 2010 State Champions

This season has been exciting. My kids' field band started with a win, which is not so unusual these days. But that win was with a score of 82.7, which was not only the highest first score ever for the band, but the highest score for the week across the state. That result put the band in a position of being the favorite for the rest of the season. And they lived up to that expectation finishing undefeated.

Victor 97.05
Orchard Park 95.65
West Genesee 95.50
Arlington 95.10
Cicero-North Syracuse 92.50
Liverpool 92.25
Webster 88.65
Central Square 87.25
Copiague 86.30
Oswego 84.80

The Dome day is quite the experience. Since this was the last for our daughter, it was also emotionally wrenching for us, her parents. It starts with a parents performance on Saturday with introductions and such. The performance is their last until states. One parent showed up with a case of mini tissue packs to hand out.

Then Sunday the kids have a few hours of rehearsal and leave for Syracuse by bus. They have a pretty clear schedule of places to be and things to do. As parents, we do a lot of sitting and waiting.

We started by watching the Buffalo Bills rally from abysmal to tie their game. Then we listened on the radio to them shoot themselves in the foot a few times to lose that game. We got to the Dome arena and parked ourselves in the nosebleed seats. Two hours and eight bands later, the first of the contenders takes the field. West Genesee Wildcats have perpetually won this event. Their dominance over time has meant it takes years to teach judges that they are not the best. Their performance however was very well done. Their show tends to stand still during the harder music. But they executed well.

Right after them is Victor. We yell and scream as parents and try to embarrass our kids. But they go out and perform extremely well anyway. The show is their best of the year. My wife is crying the whole time. I get a bit teary eyed too.

Then right after Victor is Arlington, the third of the four contenders. Their show is also well done but maybe a bit simpler than Victor's.

now we sit through six other bands waiting for the last band, Orchard Park. They have not competed against any other contender this year. but their scores have consistently put them in the top few of the state. Their show seems to me to be a lot of follow-the-leader stuff, but they are big and have a big sound. And their color guard is huge.

Now we sit for another half an hour waiting for scores. The SU Orange band plays for the kids.

During this time as parents we are babbling idiots. Nerves are very close to the surface. We aren't judges. For all we know the year's hard work may lead to a fourth place. Someone says "I'm sorry. But if West Genny wins I'm not coming next year." That may be a bit extreme. In reality we all know that the kids did their best and will be proud of their accomplishment regardless of place.

The kids form up on the field. The scores for the Small School class are announced. Another half hour goes by. More tension.

Our class is announced. They start from last and go up. Fifth is announced as a 92+ score. We get nervous.

The announcer says "In fourth place.....with a score of....95.10...." and I freak. I figured our score would be in the 95-96 range. It could be Victor.

"...from..." Oh for Pete's sake get on with it!

"Arlington...." I don't hear the rest. This is a high score for fourth. And Arlington! We wanted them second. We thought it was between Victor and Arlington. Does that mean the judges are seeing things differently? Are the judges whacked? Is this going to be another West Genny mysterious win?

Trophies are handed out. Pictures taken.

"In third place..with a score of ... 95.50..." of crap that's close. Oh please not third, please not third.

"...from..." seriously? You have to pause after each word?

"...Camilus NY, the West Genesee Wildcats." A huge sigh of relief and spike of excitement and dread all at once. We finally beat West Genny (relief). We are going to be top 2 (excitement). And Orchard Park, who we really don't think had that good a show, may win (dread).

Trophies, pictures, yadda yadda.

"In second place...with a score of 95.65...." Yowser that's close!

"...from..." Okay, this is it. If it is Victor, lots of yelling! If it is OP, do everything you can to hold back the excitement.

'...Orchard Park.." I don't care whatever else is said. We won! Well, I say "we" in the my kids sort of are we, if you you know what I mean. All the parents are muffling their sobs of joy. Well at least all around me are. There are hugs, tears...a real mess.

The only thing that matters now is what our score is. "And in first place...with a score of...97.05" and that's the last I heard. I screamed. A bit of a loss of self control here. It was probably too obvious that I immediately thought "Damn straight! We spanked your butts!" In the 2 seconds it took me to regain composure, I'm sure I offended the very nice Arlington parents around us. For that I am truly sorry.

Tears welled up. My daughter's band career from 7th grade through 12th grade included three field band state championships out of 6 years. She caps this off as co-Drum Major, saluting, walking up to collect the monster trophies, pictures, the whole nine yards.

The kids party on the field and pose for pictures. We move from the nose bleed section to crowd the edge of the field. Euphoric.

When we arrived at the exit off the Thruway that leads to Victor, we waited with the crowd. The buses were escorted at 12:45 AM through town by fire engines and police, and about 100 cars honking. Very cool.

Next stop - Annapolis Maryland for USSBA Nationals Saturday.