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Larry

Samuel Murphy wrote in news:bfbdfd6b-859c-4ba8-
:

Fun, kinda stupid

The trouble with "racing", a nebulous term on the boats I get to sail on,
in a heavy cruiser like an Amel Sharki 41 full of booze, tools, enough
parts to rebuild the diesel 50 miles offshore except for the engine lathe,
sitting low in the water from the massive weight....our trouble is having
enough wind to make it over the starting line and past the committee boat.

If we get her to "start", even though we don't finish until the race
committee is standing with their stuff all packed up waiting to go to the
party.....with our big handicap....we can place pretty good, even if we
don't arrive back at the starting line until we're out of beer!

We're pretty easy to spot on a calm day (race days in Charleston are
ALWAYS, INVARIABLY the calmest days of the month). We're the guys with
every rag the masts will support fully extended with more guys at the rail
holding up sheets from the aft cabin trying to extend the trailing edge of
the biggest genoa another 6 feet without blocking the mizzen staysail very
much...

The red satin sheets off the captain's playroom bed seem especially
effective, probably from the other crews laughing so hard they are the ones
filling it!

But, you let the race be about some charity for sick kids and you'll see us
at or near the top of the leaderboard in funds collected, the more
important part of that race....(c;

We may not be fast, but NOONE has more fun trying....