The chaos of returning sailors, infinite questions (where's John?), boats in motion (where's my spot?), tryouts, and trying to get off the dock in one piece is always exhilarating as we begin a new season. What will this one bring?

Super El Nino looms and the winter weather is forecasted to be warmer and wetter with snowfall unclear so we'll see.  Last year we had several heavy snows and a couple months of cold; the docks needed shoveling and ice broken up. I track race cancellations here so we can all see the good and bad calls since 2018. PRO tip: cover your centerboard well so it does't freeze in place. A "Brazillian" boat cover suffices.

As in a forest, a number of our "big trees" have moved on over the past few years leaving clearings for "saplings" to take their place. Some of those have waited years (ahem), others have just sprouted.  This reporter's impression is the mark roundings are more crowded suggesting the top of the fleet is compressing and evening out. 

We have a fine "crop" of new racers given so-far successful tryout sessions and Keith Bell returned in his Jameson-plaid Dyer and put it to good use despite a two-year gap!

Let's go to the videotape.

Left: Tom Danahy, Sunday's tryout "victim," took his stirred, not shaken, shown here dripping next to his wife. And Marissa, almost scared off by dock-side whistling shrouds, had a great day on the water instead.

With final scores still being "cooked" for the 15 racers, we know there was consistency on the top decks and stoachistic misery in steerage.  Guerin and Murphy both had masts fall down resulting in last place plus one scores for a race while they re-rigged. PRO TIP: Guerin had a cotter pin pop out on a shroud. Rubber bands wrapping the pin and shroud barrel prevent pin pop and shroud snap. 

The day's shiftiness is reflected in the spread of bullets across six races which were awarded to John Field, Marc Berkowitz, Simon Curtis-Ginsburg, Shig Odani x 2, and Aaron Wheeler. But consistency ALWAYS pays off as it did for John with a 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2 who took gold, Shig in the silver, and Marc with a bronze. John told me afterwards that he managed to squeeze out of bad situations more often than leading wire to wire.

For those of you who write reports -- and I wish more did -- it's hard not to put a personal spin on the day. I don't sail in the summertime and felt pretty rusty and unsure in a strange charter boat (mine is still hanging in my too messy man cave.) Nonetheless, that is no excuse for near universal bad starts, and poor race tactics. What felt in-phase with the shifts, too often turned to "what was I thinking?"  And for me and many others, the strong ebb current at the windward mark wreaked havoc at both port and starboard roundings, at times costing leaders their leads.

We missed out on a chalk-talk by Bahar but did manage to confirm Josh's question about port v starboard inside the circle: starboard always rules. 

Thanks to the RC team, Billy Z, and Holly who contended admirably with the oscillating wind and provided post-race sustenance, to Tim Baron and the crash boat crews, and of course to Mighty Miss who herds the cats and pilots the space ship.

Off we go!

-- Scott/666