JHYC Valentine's Regatta
It was February 12, the first day of the Jolly Harbor Yacht Club Valentine’s Regatta, and there were boats as far as the eye could see. Due to the thick rain, however, this meant 11 boats and about half a mile visibility. The Valentine’s Regatta was headed for a wonderful start, with excited chaos and shivered commands. At the start of the race, the miserable weather found itself somewhat unnoticed as fierce excitement seemed to deflect the rain from anxious and determined sailors.
Thankfully, the races consisted of short legs, which meant fast tacks and spinnaker hoists leaving no time for the cold. Unfortunately, the speedy maneuvering had its drawbacks. The second we got close to comfortable, we were back to the bruises of clambering under the boom, fighting our way under the jib, or attacking each other with elbows in our attempts to bring across the headsail. This, however, was the least of our worries.
Perhaps the biggest challenge of the day was spotting a tiny orange mark in the midst of thick rain and choppy waves. Every time there was a hint of orange, you were forced to blink because of a sudden splash or rain in your eyes. Then you turned to see if other boats were having better luck spotting the mark. No use, half were paying off and the rest were heading up. We were forced to keep going, momentarily blind. Then we finally spotted the mark and we made our way home or at least to our villa to await the final day of racing.
On Sunday, the sun rose and teased with its warmth, as an “ominous” rain cloud made its way over to the racecourse, bringing with it howling winds and the excitement of the previous day. The tension built, the count down started and the races began again.
First place results:
Cruiser Class: Elietha
Performance Cruiser 1: Antares
Performance Cruiser 2: Huey Too
Racing class: Lost Horizon
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