Sail Away With Me

11 July 2009 | Marsh Harbour
10 July 2009 | Abaco, Bahamas
09 July 2009 | Marsh Harbour
08 July 2009 | Marsh Harbour
06 July 2009 | Treasure Cay to Guana Cay
03 July 2009 | Fiddle Cay, Bahamas
24 June 2009 | Same
30 April 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
22 April 2009 | Green Turtle Cay, Abaco
10 April 2009 | Manjack Island
17 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
15 February 2009
14 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
13 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
11 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
07 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
06 February 2009 | Abacos Bahamas
05 February 2009
01 February 2009 | Bahamas
24 December 2008

Race #4

09 July 2009 | Marsh Harbour
Favorable winds
Race #4 (the 3rd for us) was on July 9th. The course was from Marsh Harbour to Hope Town, a round-the-islands race. Jep and Joanne, our expert racers could not be with us. Sad to say, they had to head back to the states for a funeral. They were visiting friends, Doug and Debra, aboard, Amazing Grace, a beautiful 70 foot motor yacht. Also aboard were Doug's brother, Bob and his wife Sharon. Bob agreed to help us race. So again we had an experienced racer helping us. We picked up Bob in the Harbour and headed out to the committee boat to check in and assess the starting line. The committee boat asked us if we would take the responsibility for two, not one, but two, twelve year old boys with us. Well, what does one say to the committee boat? YES, of course. So, now we had two more helpers, Scott and Danny. Both these boys had more experience than I did and Bob put them right to work. We skirted the starting line, heading for the buoy, counting down the seconds and again we were the first ones over the starting line. The excitement begins. We had fair winds and the boys would sit on the head sail lines to apply more pressure - catch more wind. We rounded the first two marks in good time. Then we had to tack over and over again towards the third mark. The zig zags across the waters we made were perfect. The boys did a great job. We were keeping up, even catching up to the other racers. I could vision a trophy in my hands, everyone clapping and taking our picture. Then POW! Flap, Flap, Flap, What the h***!! We blew the head sail. A huge, gigantic tear. We were dead in the water. I was in shock. Bob had to gently tell us we had to withdraw from the race. Wait! What else can we do? There has to be something! It didn't sink in that there was absolutely nothing we could do, until he called the race committee on the VHF radio and told them in a very authoritarian voice "the sailing vessel Dana Jean is withdrawing from the race". Ouch that hurt, we were so close, and we could see the last marker. DRAT, DRAT, DRAT. The boys were picked up by the chase boat. I guess we weren't that much fun anymore. And, while everyone else was finishing the race, we motored over to Man-O-War Cay, to the only sail maker around. As we were taking the sail down it started to rain, a downpour. What Luck! We ate lunch soaking wet with not so happy faces. Jay at E.B.Y Sails said he would try to get the sail fixed by Saturday morning for the final race. However, the next day, Friday, was the Bahamian Independence Day and he would not be working that day. Jay said to call Saturday morning at 9:00 to see if he was able to finish the sail. We had to check in for the race at Hope Town, Saturday before 11:00. The sail would be in Man-O-War Cay. In our boat it would take about forty-five minutes or more to get there and then another forty-five minutes or more back. If the sail did get fixed that would not give us enough time to enter the race (and we think our boat is fast enough to be in a race? Crazy!). Doug on Amazing Grace offered to take Larry over and back in his go fast, I mean really fast dinghy, named Ding Dong. A plan was made, now nothing left to do but wait. Wait, and well there was, of course, another party. This night's party and awards was at the Harbour View Lodge, out by the pool, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A spectacular view, a gentle breeze, Bahamian band, and free rum punch. Who could ask for anything more? Well....... an award would be nice. Maybe someday.
Comments
Vessel Name: Dana Jean
Vessel Make/Model: Gemini 105M Catamaran
Hailing Port: Kennewick, WA
Crew: Larry Gabaldon and Dana Brown

Sail Away with Me

Who: Larry Gabaldon and Dana Brown
Port: Kennewick, WA