Twelfth Night: Notes and Results from Wednesday July 15th

Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG0ochx16Dg ) The following is loooong and I only have myself to blame.

First, I received a nice note from Bruce Geffen of Nice Pair after my posting of last week regarding swapping the helm assignment on our Wednesday Night Race. I hope people took it in the way that I had intended to write it, that is as an opportunity for learning and growing your knowledge on the boat. Bruce was kind enough to allow me to share some of his thoughts with you all:

"I want to tell you how valuable and meaningful a thing you did last night by giving up the helm. You may never fully grasp how beneficial that act was. So too bad other skippers/owners don't do it on a more regular basis. When I get an opportunity to speak with some of the elder statesmen/heads of our beloved sport, and listen in on the conversations they have at round tables, etc. the one consistent comment in how to grow our sport more for the masses is "let the kid drive." Or "let the woman drive." Some have even written on changing up crew duties on different races over a season. Not just once, but several times. I mean really, how important is that Wed night beercan flag, or whatever.On "Nice Pair," everyone drives, for the most part. And in the big races too. Rarely am I on the helm. I vividly remember a scene on my boat on the 2007 Bayview Mac race when we were at the top of the mitt, about 50-75 miles to the finish. I had 2 gals on board, one was Alan (Mr Clean) wife Mer, and the other was an old gal pal who sailed Crescents for years, and had done a race or so on my boat and is a whiz with the stick (helm). So it is in the last morning of the race and here was Mer and Kristen driving my boat around 10 kts or so, just chatting away about whatever gals chat non stop about, sharing a cig, and occassionally looking up at the sailsto check the trim or course or whatever, but only as an after thought to their own little world. Alan and I were down below and I elbowed him to check out that scene, and then mentioned how if it were me and him, we'd be trying to make it as dialed in as possible and would more than likely be going about 2 kts slower. We both roared and agreed wholeheartedly. And that sort of thing is how we roll on "Nice Pair."I know I am rambling on here but I can't tell you how many years I was on the bow, and a great bow dude too, if I may say so, but rarely, if ever, was my input or insight on a race ever considered or taken seriously. And we were all stuck doing the same job all the time. No one ever had a perspective of what the other team members were doing in sync with everyone else. Of course, later on as an older bow guy, my voice and input was accepted. And I also drive my boat just fine and am a more than decent helm.So what I am trying to say here is first off is encourage others in the fleet to do the same and change up folk's positions on a somewhat regular basis. I don't know...see what happens.Thanks for all your updates, and taking time to read through my long winded reply. Please pass on my "Hey!" to folks at NCYC and you all can track us for the Chi Mac/Super Mac, and Bayview Mac via internet and online tracking system that is updated every 10-20 minutes with the satellite. Also, you can follow us on Sailing Anarchy with "On The Water" reports by Alan (Mr. Clean) and Mer, his lovely wife, since they will be racing with us.Happy Sailing!Bruce"

Now on to this week's stuff:

So yesterday was the twelfth race of our Midweek Season. Allow me to wax poetic. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Caesar.

From Wikipedia: "One of Shakespeare's better known comedies, Twelfth Night, or What You Will, prepares the audience for its jovial feel of festivities consisting of drink, dance, and giving in to general self-indulgence. The subtitle What You Will, implies that the audience is also involved in the merry spirit found in the play. The subtitle also refers to the wealthier characters who do little work and possess the liberty to do as they please, focuses on the aristocrats of society who are entitled to their pleasures while the only hard work being done is by their servants." (Hey, this sounds a lot like the skippers at the helm of our boats and the efforts of the crews that make it all happen for them!)

"Twelfth Night is noted as one of Shakespeare's most studied and best loved plays: the twin-based comedy of cross-dressing and mistaken identity is accessible to even novice Shakespeare scholars. However, the play has also garnered much critical attention for its nuanced and sometimes elusive treatment of issues of gender disguises, thwarted social ambition, and all the forms of love: misguided love, love conventions, self-love, and true love that wins through in the end." (Cross dressing, mistaken identities, twarted social ambition, misguided love, self love: all the makings of a successful Wednesday night at North Cape: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydSyKhdOnPg Stick with this and give it a chance!)

But I digress. (Oh yeah, say the assembled multitudes, there's a new concept.) Our twelfth race of the year and final race of the Summer Series finally got around to one of those long cherished traditions of sailboat racing: a protest! In fact where one is good, two protests must be even better. (Speaking of cherished traditions, here's one that I think I witnessed at the North Cape bar. If it wasn't there, perhaps we should consider instituting it as it would undoubtedly reduce our costs for beer glasses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLiHwHWYS7k ). So results were a little delayed last night while three of our faithful were imposed upon to hear the pleaings of the agrieved and the agrievers. Needless to say, the protests were not clear-cut, but when are they ever when two opposing viewpoints are involved? Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Thanks go to John Greiner, Jeff Mackay and Joe Sweeney for serving on the protest committee, hearing the witnesses, sorting the wheat from the chaff, weighing the facts and arriving at decisions.

Rich Cherry and friends on Full Ride served as Race Committee and used the Ohio Lottery's bingo machine to select the ping pong ball for Course #2 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvaFN-gMSLU&feature=PlayList&p=A13634A2B7F3FDC9&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4 ) and a good choice it was. A fast off wind leg to East (or Center for those of you who swing that way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luhhBY-z0Js see, now wasn't that simple? You can be the life of the next party at the club) followed by a very fun beat from the North mark back to the West mark finish in 15 or so knots of wind. The fleet of 41 boats was all over the lake on the beat spread from about as far left as you could go to almost all the way in to shore on the far right. Obviously lots of thoughts about where the fast lane was on that leg. But come the finish, everybody was back together and most of them at the same time. The RC was very busy with numerous overlapped finishes. Great sailing everyone and way to keep the RC on their toes!

Thirty Spinnaker boats were out for the race: a non-baker's dozen in A, 11 in B and 7 more in C were complemented by 11 more of the JAM persuasion with 7 in A and 4 in B. Lots of pretty chutes on the first leg. We even exercised our fluorescent green chute for the first time this year so that Mojito wouldn't feel too lonely with their wardrobe. (See some of the pics uploaded at www.ncycsailing.blogspot.com . I've been trying to take lots of pics at the races so email me and I'll be happy to share what I have of your boat. No guarantees on photgraphic excellence, (you take your chances just like you do when you are reading this stuff). Obviously since we sail in PHRF B, my best opportunities to get pics come in that fleet but if you happen to err and sail close to us I'll get you if I can and my crew doesn't yell at me too much to quit looking around.

In PHRF A, the Hobies once again showed their stuff with Fupastank taking the win over Holy Toledo with Abracadabra saving enough time on the balance of their fleet to capture a 3rd. The PHRF B competitors continue to be amazed at how well John and Judy Greiner and crew are sailing Red Cloud this year, with the victor's laurels once again finding their way onto their heads ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziuRtVUbjz8 "Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have Immortal longings in me.") Full Tilt and Send in the Clowns (All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.) rounded out the podium placings. PHRF C found J-boats big and little on top. Wildcat took the measure of Defender ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53PumbeAImI ) with Splash Dance battling their way back from an On Course Start to sneak into 3rd.

In JAM A Tyrannous seems to have their groove thing going ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6hCaCOAGU ) with first place followed by Orange Crate ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JocdM-bGxfs ) and J-Bird ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPYyUpVOSB8&feature=related ) hot on their heels. Jam B was the province of Aftermath2 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IMfQ0CXuF0 funny, I never visualized Jonathon as an Iron Maiden kind of guy til I saw this) with La Chiva ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O36XSjES8w8 Hey! Where have they been keeping that crew? "And thus I clothe my naked villany with odd old ends stol'n out of holy writ, and seem a saint, when most I play the devil.") and Autumn Wind ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmiVYFueNvQ ) in 2nd and 3rd.

So farewell—to the little good you bear me.Farewell? a long farewell to all my greatness!This is the state of man: to-day he puts forthThe tender leaves of hopes, to-morrow blossoms,And bears his blushing honors thick upon him;The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,And when he thinks, good easy man, full surelyHis greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,And then he falls as I do.

Or maybe more simply: "When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
Sail well! See you after Chicago.

Kent