True North Adventures

We are anchored off La Cruz, Mexico. The quaint cobblestone streets host many little restaurants, extensions of their homes. Every night it sounds like most have live music.
The sailing community here is well organized, hosting events which benefit the local schools. We are currently in the midst if one such event, the Banderas Bay Blast.
We've sailed boats for 50 years, but we have never raced. Our boat is a fairly heavy cruiser. When Mike pitched the event, he repeatedly clarified it was, "More like a rally, using a regatta format just to get everyone back to the party on time."
We have actually gotten to sail very little this trip. Motor sailing was necessary because of little wind. So Dwight's eyes brightened. "I think we should do this!"
"But we don't know the first thing about racing."
"But it's really just a rally...for fun!"
Since we just finished our major boat projects yesterday, and since we don't know how to relax yet, "True North" officially signed up on-line.
Our first free morning since the beginning of our cruise; What to do? "I'd love to water color, Dwight." I paint for several hours. I make lunch at 12:15. The "race" begins at 1. 12:40 we go above to pull up anchor, and my stomach clenches. I know something is terribly wrong. 22 other boats are flying around the bay, practicing their approach to the starting line. Our eyes meet; we fly into action!
"Is the anchor up yet?"
"Yes. Jana, keep into the wind so I can hoist the main." I try, but boats are everywhere, some looming right at me.
I scream, "Who has the right of way?" But immediately I realize it's a ridiculous question; we are the only sailboat under power, so they all have the right-of-way!
The VHF radio is blaring the count down. Oh no! We are in the first division to start...in 4 minutes!
"I'm coming back to unfurl the jib. Keep it into the wind." Dwight hands me the jib sheet to tail, keeping pressure on it so the sail rolls out smoothly. (3 minutes) He begins winching the sail in. The winch groans and squeeks. It takes forever!
"We really need to service those winches!" ( 1 minute)
Suddenly, we are moving. I had turn to avoid some torpedoing boats; the sails fill. We are plunging toward the start line out of control (30 seconds) while other boats are carefully positioning themselves to cross the start line at the last second. One yells at me, "What are you doing?"
"I don't know!" I scream.
"Dwight, where exactly is the starting line?" (10 seconds)
I hear Mike counting down the seconds. My heart is pounding. I am just keeping the sails full so I can avoid all these crazy boats! I am in survival mode. Miraculously we cross the starting line. It is no skill on my part. I still don't know how it happened.
"Now what heading?"
"Just follow the other boats!"
"I wrote down the lat-longs to the first mark if you can hook up the chart plotter." We hadn't even turned our instruments on yet!
We realize this is no rally. These sailors are beyond competitive.
A new wave of boats overtake us as the "Plastic Fantastic Division" started 5 minutes after us. We smile and wave. We actually make it a mile up the coast to the first mark. We pass it on our port, just right. We feel proud. There are a few boats behind us, but we are looking ahead at most of the fleet.
Ah, the downwind run. We feel excited to fly our asymmetrical spinnaker. Dwight tries to haul the sock out of the bag on the outside of the jib. It won't pull up. Darn! We'll have to roll up the jib first. We roll up the jib, and slow down to 2.5 knots without a headsail. Up it goes! "Won't be long and we'll be doing 5 knots!"
Dwight deploys it, but only half of the spinnaker comes out of the bag! We are third to last. "Something is wrong. I'll have to drop it."
I've had it! I cry "I'm a nervous wreck! My heart is pounding. I'm never doing this again!"
We watch helplessly as the second-to-last boat sails by us.
Dwight untwists the spinnaker and up it goes! We finish next to last, almost an hour behind the other boats. But we did it! Our first "race" is in the books!
The party already started at Ana Banana's as we walk in. The band is awesome and we sit with two other couples. What lovely people; so interesting you could talk to them for days. Soon two more join our table. We experience first hand the sailing community, and we feel completely included. We tell them our story. They are all racers, and just die laughing!
Mike announces the results for the Cruiser's Division, "Third Place, True North." Our table erupts into cheers! No one could heard the next winners.
We motor back to True North in our dinghy feeling as if we won it all!