Forget the September 23 equinox to herald fall's arrival.
It came during Minisceongo Yacht Club's Sutherland
Regatta. Saturday dawned with a calm misty haze. A hint
of August lingered in the air. Light showers began,
wrung from the dense vapor by a cold front creeping in
from the northwest with increasing velocity. By the first
race, the wind was fairly high-octane fuel for sail
engines, surely potent enough to make the Vikings glad
to have flown the smaller jib. During the lull between
races, the wind abated a bit. As we considered shifting to
the big jib clouds overhead seemed to suggest staying the
course. Good thing. Those 25- to 30-knot gusts
surprised a few crews who set up for lighter winds.
Courses were long, but we had the fuel to drive them.
Hat's off to the committee boat crew for a good race!
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What a gorgeous night to be on the Hudson after dancing between hurricanes while an
assignment in Honduras kept me from crewing the Viking. Heading to the start, we
strained to hear what class the square-rigger might call in, but alas the Half Moon replica
ship didn't race. The A's got off to a well-seasoned start and the C's soon followed into
the setting sun on a 5.6-mile course. It seemed a little Mad Mad given the remaining light
in the day, but a tip of the hat to the Hatter crew for an interesting choice given the
westerly wind and ripping outgoing tide. As we briskly plowed into dusk toward lights
that marked the line the Half Moon rose before our bow, necessitating a bit of a course
change and sending our thoughts sailing back to a time when only wind powered
explorers to a New World.
