Mark and I had been frostbiting at Duck Island Yacht Club on their Capri 14's. It had ended and we took a couple of winters off. Mark started sailing again and I said that I wanted too also. Mark heard about Ed and offered my services to him. Mark told me that Ed's wife, Marsha, wouldn't sail with him anymore. I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not! We started in InterClub's. These are tipy little boats where the crew has little to do but balance the boat and put the dagger board down. Note here, you usually smash your thumb with the dagger board thing. We were only on these boats for one season. Shortly after that we switched to the Blue Jay's. The rest, as they say, is sailboat racing history.
After a leisurely lunch with Ed and Marsha, I went down to watch the boats racing. The Blue Jay's and the 420's weren't out. The gybe mark was close to shore so anyone could easily watch. The wind was blowing from the Northwest and the current was going out. This made for an upwind battle. There were some points of time that I could pick out which boats were actually moving. In the last race of the day the lasers started out before the JY 15's but they all met at the windward mark. Their downwind leg was fast and with the gybe mark right there, was fun to watch. It was a perfect day for sailing. The mooring field was devoid of the boats and there was little river traffic. A nice breeze with a beautiful blue sky completed this picture.
One last note, Ed is feeling fine, Chris probably finished the wall in his house, and Pierre may have taken off to hit the slopes. Dick and his crew Janice were ready to go, sorry guys but we'll be out there next week.