Parents Stricken with Severe Fever
on Wednesday June 21, 2006 07:58PM
What race this year put more boats on the starting line than any other so far? How about the Parents' Races during Junior Week, June 20?
Maybe it was the Kool-Aid, maybe the relentless recruiting by Jon Deutsch and Alain Vincey, but I'd lay odds on plain old jealousy. Who wants to sit around checking email when the kids are having all that fun? Whatever it was, parents racing was one of the most fun evenings I've spent on or off a sailboat.
No less than 20 boats sailed eight or so races using rabbit starts in light and shifty conditions about a hundred yards off the FBYC pier. In the first race or two no one really knew how to aggressively go after a good start with this crazy rabbit stuff, but holy smokes was it nuts when we figured it out. Two general recalls took place after sailboat racing was abandoned in favor of rabbit hunting. Ouch!
I think Alain Vincey and JC Swenson probably did best early in the series, and then John Hubbard got legs and got a first or two, but the best finish of all - by far - was Austin Powers' first place after a day of exhausting training in the Junior Racing program. His dad, Eric, and I were so far behind we didn't even know until someone told us. Wait a minute, who let Austin into the Parents' Racing, is nothing sacred?
I said there were eight or so races because we didn't keep score, and it really didn't matter. It was a fabulous time, and I can't wait to do it again. Many thanks to Jon and Alain for organizing this great event.