Photos courtesy of Lisa Duret and Margaret Powers
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| Start of race: The starting line is on a diagonal from left to right from this angle, so the boats are actually crossing the starting line nearly simultaneously. Nice effect though photographer Lisa! |
For a day on the lake, we had idyllic conditions – nice temperatures, lack of humidity, and blue skies. While far from ideal for sailing, the wind, though light and fickle, proved sufficient for the races. We had the lake nearly to ourselves, can you believe it, on a Sunday afternoon with perfect weather? A dozen sailors took the bait.
Our gem of a lake, here in southern Indiana’s hills, drew visitors from the west. They were greeted with weather that, by the standards of any region, was perfect - though perhaps not up to the high standards of sailors. Margaret's niece, Marian, and Arlene's son, Mike, and daughter-in-law, Shannon, had traveled from the distant shores of LA, and from Washington State to our landlocked paradise. Marian aided Margaret Powers and Bob Orben aboard the Committee Boat, overseeing the races. Mike, steeped in a sailing heritage, volunteered for a hitch as Tom's crew on the JY-15.
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| Here Mike Truex crews for Tom in the JY-15. Lance and Bianca in the background. |
The GLOA safety boat stood sentinel, as did the GYC safety boat with Jim Riffle at the helm and Mimi, Arlene, Lisa, and Shannon aboard, all ready to ensure the safety of the sailors..
Thanks to all, including Kevin and Beth for organizing our races.
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| The Voelz paparazzi and post-race-beverage-assistant boat, a lively presence, kept an eye on their favorite sailors, emitting joyous noises at key moments. |
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| On the way to the first mark |
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| John Gall |
Nine sailboats navigated the race course. Although previously spread out, just before the second mark, providence convened all of the sailors into a single calm spot, a strange convergence that left us all stranded together within a foot or two of each other for five or ten minutes for a purpose that eluded us.
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| Spread out prior to calm spot |
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| Then... togetherness. But Kevin (left) catches the first breeze. |
In this eerie calm, the sailors had no control of their boats, and were at the mercy of random unpredictable, undetectable microcurrents of water or air, causing uncontrolled movements of a few boats that made it appear as if the skippers indulged in a bit too much grog.
We could have, but refrained from, conducting club business or swapping lake gossip. The absence of Dick Pitman's endless repertoire of jokes-at-the-ready was keenly felt. At last, jokes were solicited, and Dianne launched one: "A sailor walked into a bar..." Lance, aboard he and Bianca's new-to-their-fleet Y-Flyer, chimed in, "...and convinced his wife they needed another sailboat!"
(By the way, Dianne submitted some more sailor jokes in the comments box below the header for this column)
When the wind finally reappeared, those whose sails were downwind of another boat's sails struggled to regain momentum. Kevin’s sails felt the wind first, putting him in an advantageous position, and he was first to round the mark.
Arlene hosted another lighthearted, well attended post-race gathering, including our out-of-town visitors. A cookie enthusiast made an energetic appearance, and a young sailor-to-be silently, but attentively absorbed the sights and sounds of the gathering from various viewpoints and sets of arms.
RACE RESULTS:
