The Cat Expierence!

29/5/09

2300 (local time)

What an awesome day I had today. Every Friday at Club Vass and Wildwind (the sailing school) it is race day. Which means for Club Vass, it’s a bit of a laugh muck around session in light winds, which generally ends up with you bareing an ass to win. But over at Wildwind, its more of a serious affair.

Wildwind is almost exactly the same as Club Vass, but instead of windsurf kit, they have heaps of boats ranging from Hobie Tigers to Laser Radials, so they have a load of different boats.

Anyway, today I wanted to test my racing skills against all the guests and Wildwind guys, so me and one of the other flying fish guys called Tom, jumped into a Laser 4000, which is a skiff a bit like a 29er. So we both got into it and set off to the race in the morning, because we were the only boat out there, and we were racing against Hobie 16’s. Our aim was to beat them, so I got an awesome start with speed and clear air and boosted past all of them. The morning was light winds, so it wasn’t very exciting racing. But the afternoon was going to be interesting as it normally gets windy.

So we rocked up for the afternoon race, and my old crew was a now show, because he had an insect bite on his arm he wanted to get looked at. So I was crewless, so now my aim was to either find a crew for the Laser 4000 or find someone that needed a skipper for the Hobie 16.

Luckily I found someone that needed a skipper for a Hobie 16 so I was happy to sail it. Firstly I had to convince everyone that I had sailed a Hobie before… (which I haven’t) but I told everyone that I had. “No Worries” was the call of the day.

Anyway, the race started pretty slowly, with light winds, but it just steadily built throughout the day. By the 3 race, we were both out on trapieze and absolutely flying around the course, it was an awesome experience.

I was talking to my crew whilst boosting around no longer in the race, ‘I can so see us pitch polling this boat and ending up in the drink’ and as I pretty much said this, the leeward hull buried and sent him out on trap around the front, and I ended up sprawled, spread eagle on the sail.

I have never righted a Cat, but I remember that when I saw people do it they had ropes to hang on to whilst standing on the hulls. Once we righted it, it did a Russian roll and went over again, so the same process was done again. This time when we righted it, the boat was pointed dead down wind, I was hanging onto the front of the trap, whilst still underwater, getting dragged under the boat, I lost my grip, and then grabbed onto the back of the boat getting body dragged behind the boat. This was one of the funniest things ever, because I was trying to tell my crew to grab the tiller, but it had flipped behind the boat and was impossible to get. Anyway, I lost my grip and saw the boat just sail away, with both of us just in laughter.

Anyway, we got back to the beach absolutely exhausted, but still laughing.

At the presentation where the winners are announced, we came 3^rd on handicap against the Tigers. Beating the 2 other Hobie 16’s, and this is including that I didn’t sail the first 3 race In the morning. So I think I sailed a good regatta.

I cant wait, till next Friday, where I can either jump into a Laser full rig, or a 49er or a Hobie Tiger, and show all the boys how its done.

WOO HOO!

Ps: Sorry about the lack of posts, I’ve been as sick as a dog, with a stomach bug and not wanting to do anything, all we need to do now is pray for some wind.