Laser/Sunfish Sailing - Sailing in the Rain?

When six Laser and two Sunfish sailors arrived at the club last night, there was light rain, and the radar was showing heavier bands on the way from the south. On the other hand, there was a fresh on-shore breeze tempting us from the east. We watched from the clubhouse as Rob Mouradian launched his Sunfish. He had said that he had the time free, so he was going out sailing regardless of the rain, even if racing was cancelled. Inspired by Rob, we all went out.

It turned out to be yet another great night. The rain stayed on the light side. I got to try out some of the team racing moves that former Sharon HS sailing team captain Matt Russell had taught me at a special practice session the night before. The wind vane on the lower mast was especially useful, as the telltales were hopelessly stuck to the wet sail.

We sailors always appreciate the efforts of our race committee, but we especially appreciated our PRO, Kristin Funsch, last night. We were quite warm and comfortable being active and having fun in the boats. I didn't even notice the rain, except that it felt good to be out enjoying mother nature. It couldn't have been quite so comfortable sitting in the committee boat. Kristin ran half a dozen or so races with independent starts for each fleet. Extra special thanks from all of us to Kristin.

Back on shore we attended a barbeque and birthday party for Matt. Matt's father, Skip, did the grilling out in the rain. Laura Russell brought the food and a basketful of dry towels for the sailors and her husband. I was again amazed at how much food teenagers can pack down.

The weather is looking to be ideal tomorrow for the Saturday late afternoon Laser/Sunfish informal fleet racing at 3 PM with temp in the low 80s, sunny skies, and wind 9-10 mph from the southwest. Even if you don't wish to join us for racing, tomorrow should be a great day for sailing in general. If you wish to try Laser sailing, the club Laser is available to any MYC member or guest on a first-come, first-served basis, and Gary Werden has an extra Laser at the club which he graciously lends out. Any of the Laser sailors would be glad to help with the rigging.

See you there.

Eric