SHTP 2010
If you’ve more or less followed this blog, you’ll know all the problems we had to get the boat out of the yard in Germany, the youth gear problems while we finally took her for a some fantastic sailing days in Lelystad, and the more delays getting the boat to the USA.
Due to lack of time for proper preparation and training I missed PSSA‘s Bishop Rock race and Guadalupe Island Race. Then I tried to make it to the SHTP start… but tiller and rudder problems on the qualifier sail put the end into my 2010 SHTP dreams.
It had been a very intense boat-focused year and a half, and after not being able to accomplish any of my 2010 goals, I really needed a break. A real one.
On June 19Th 2010 I went to the Corinthian Yacht Club were I met the racers, race committee and lots of very nice people, and witness the 2010 SHTP fleet leave towards Hawaii. Very nice to see them leave, very sad to stay in land.
After that I went to Point Reyes (a government protected seashore a few miles north of San Francisco, probably the windiest point on the US west coast), a place I could take a look at the ocean that the racing fleet had to deal with after crossing under the bridge.
Point Reyes
After some hours walking around and facing up to 40 knots winds (and hopping they didn’t have that big of a breeze) while looking at the ocean and taking deep breaths, I drove back to town.
I ended up stopping in the area around St Francis Yacht Club (were they had a beautiful mini car show with all kind of beautiful cars just in front of the club). There I saw the kids racing and having lots of fun in the Opti Heavy Weather Regatta in quite big breeze… Ok, I was going to take a break, I was going to recover all my lost energy, and I was going to go back to racing again.
And after that I’ve been out of sailing for most (all) of the summer season. And that included writing in this blog.
But last week I found myself dreaming again about what to do with my tiller, how to set up my autopilot so it doesn’t burn again, about the feeling of the boat with the new (soon to come) rudders,… and, obviously, about sailing this late-season, prepare for Bishop Rock Race again and making sure that, when the real deal departs towards Hawaii in 2012, I’m ready and I’m there.