The twentieth annual Summer Solstice Sailabration was held on Saturday June 20, 2009 on the lower Neuse River. The event was sponsored by Nick and Jeanette Santoro of Ensign Harbor Marina, home of the Whortonsville Yacht and Tractor Club. About 40 boats registered to participate, seven of which were berthed at Ensign Harbor. Southern Star was among the entrants. There are some serious contestants but most are casual participants. Judy and I do not race very often mainly because racing a sailboat closely resembles work, and we think work should be avoided while on board a sailboat. On the other hand, as Nick said just before the race started, "It's a good excuse to go sailing". Pitting your boat and skills against other boats and skippers is always a learning experience; and, even in a casual race, maneuvering large machines in close quarters is serious business. I do not believe anyone could ever learn all there is to know about sailing, no matter how much or how long they sail.

Friday June 19, 2009
We left home at about 5pm. The weather was hot but clear. We made really good time and arrived at Ensign Harbor at about 9:40pm. We were delighted to find several of our dock mates already there, our neighbors Don and Trish from Ragtop were among them. The first order of business was to set up the portable air conditioner to make the cabin bearable. This done, we unloaded the rest of our gear and prepared the boat for occupancy. Chuck and Tish arrived a little while after we did and invited us to the cockpit, where they were eating takeout food. We enjoyed the visit but were soon ready to turn in.

Saturday June 20, 2009 (Race Day)
We awoke to clear skies and a nice southwest breeze. It looked like a great day for sailing. The weather forecast was for near 100 degree temperatures with heat indexes well above 100 with a 10 to 15 knot southwest wind. The skippers' meeting was held at 9am. Pre-race instructions were given and questions answered. As usual the race would have a staggered start, and the first group would start at high noon on the racecourse which was at least 45 minutes away from the dock.

A staggered start means that boats are divided into small groups based on a handicap of their known performance. The groups start racing at different times, with the slowest boats starting first. The different start times level the playing field with the handicap being applied at the beginning of the race so that the first boat to cross the finish line is the winner. I think this is much superior to starting them all at once and calculating the order of finish back at the dock, long after the race is over.

We left for the race at about 10:30am along with a sizable fleet of other sailboats. The race course was a triangle consisting of three marks. Two were existing (government) marks and one was temporary, placed by the committee boat. All the marks would be taken to port, but the order in which the marks would be rounded would be determined by the race committee after they arrived on the course, based on wind direction. This decision would also determine the position of the start-finish line.

The racing committee and committee boat skipper did an excellent job. The start went smoothly. Southern Star was in the third group of perhaps 8. We got a nice clean start but we were about three minutes late to the start-finish line. Judy took the helm for most of the race, with me handling sails. Judy is very good at steering a straight steady course either by compass, GPS or sight. A good helmsman is important to a successful race. Unfortunately we did not do nearly as well this year as last. I'm not sure what the problem was, but I could never quite get the boat to perform like I knew she could. If you've ever had one of those days when everything you try turns to (well you know), that was my race day. No excuses, just not a stellar performance. In spite of that it was a glorious day. The temperature was almost oppressive, but the wind was perfect from the southwest all day and relatively steady. The breeze and the slight overcast were the only thing that kept conditions from being brutal. It took about 3 hours to complete the race course. There was a lot of upwind (against the wind) sailing and therefore a lot of sail handling due to tacking. The sail handling and tacking is the part that becomes a little too much like work. A good helmsman like Judy makes it a lot easier. Our goal for the day was in three parts. In diminishing order of importance they were...
1. No damage to the vessel or her crew.
2. Finish the race.
3. Don't finish dead last.
I am happy to report that all three goals were met and we had a great, although tiring, day.

With the race complete, we headed for the "barn". The heat was still there and the closer we got to the dock, the fewer breezes we could feel. We had not consumed nearly enough liquid and almost no food all day because we had been so busy. I am very heat tolerant, and it was almost too hot for me. When we arrived at the dock, we were greeted by more dock mates who had not raced but had come for the party. Bob and Tammy were there, and Sebastian had arrived as well. Sebastian doesn't go anywhere without his parents, Stefan and Marita. We landed without major incident because we had a lot of expert assistance. As soon as we were tied up, Judy was off to meet Sebastian, whom she had never seen. Sebastian, of course, is Stefan and Marita's six month old son. I headed for a nice cool shower.

Dinner was served at about 5:30pm. There was roast pork along with the side dishes everyone had brought. Nick and Jeanette really know how to throw a party. The awards ceremony came after dinner. Winners were announced and the Whortonsville Cup was presented to this year's winner, Ken Small and his crew for sailing Miranda to victory. The meal was great and the company was too. I think this was the biggest crowd so far, and I hope everyone had as good a time as we did.

After dinner I went in search of ice because I could not seem to get cooled down. I found it, and after about a half gallon of ice water, I finally began to cool down. There was a reunion of sorts in the cockpit after dark. Several of our old dock mates and some relative newcomers were enjoying the relatively cool evening breeze. I stopped by for a short time, but Judy was done for the day. The little portable air conditioner had been chugging along for several hours and finally got the boat cool enough for sleeping, so she turned in and I followed shortly.

Sunday June 21, 2009
We wanted to get home early enough so that Judy could see her dad on Father's Day. Since we had packed lightly, there was not a lot to do except replace the various covers and pack. We prepared the boat for our absence, said goodbye to friends and left for home at about 10:30am.

This was a beautiful weekend on the water. Good friends, good food and great sailing. What more could a sailor want?