Sunday, February 12, 2006

Hunkered Down

We traveled up to Massachusetts on Friday for the christening of the cutest granddaughter in the world, planned for today. Guess we should have checked the weather forecast earlier. The north-eastern US is now hunkered down as the blizzard of '06 sweeps through the area. I can barely see across the road outside and the local TV station is promising 20 inches of snow before it's all over. The christening has been postponed until next Sunday.

Meanwhile sailors in warmer climes are torturing us with news of their sailing adventures. Carol Anne at Five O'Clock Somewhere in New Mexico is doing some serious training for her Adams Cup qualification event in a few weeks; OG at Live Sail Die is doing a spot of night racing in Queensland; and the Handleys are preparing to transit the Panama Canal prior to crossing the Pacific. What am I doing here?

Well, at least I can research Laser regattas to sail in the spring. Day by day more and more regattas are being posted on the North American Laser class website. Cedar Point YC starts their frostbiting season four weeks today on March 12 and their spring regatta is on April 29. That's the easy option as I have left my Laser there this winter but I may be digging it out of the snow before I can sail. Wonder if there are any good regattas further south?

Ahah. Down in North Carolina the District 12 Championship is at the Carolina Yacht Club at Wrightsville Beach on April 22 and 23 with a clinic the day before. And then there's another two day regatta, the North Carolina State Championship at Lake Norman Yacht Club the following weekend. Maybe I could do a road trip to take in both events?

I sailed for the first time at Wrightsville Beach last April. Notable for being one of the few locations on the east coast to host dinghy sailing out on the Atlantic Ocean, as opposed to a sheltered bay or sound, it could well be a weekend of strong wind and big waves. I haven't sailed at Lake Norman before but it's always good to try new places.

Hmmm - a week of sailing and seafood, beachcombing and barbecues ... And warm(er) weather. The snow continues to fall outside. Tempting. Very tempting.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tillerman, some of us live here in the snowy Northeast. I am actually glad to have some snow on the ground. Winter should look like winter. I still want April to be here though, that's when I can get the Pretty Gee into the water on the Acushnet River, and start sailing again.

Carol Anne said...

Tillerman, if you can find some way to ship some of that snow to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, there are a whole lot of desert sailors who would be eternally grateful. We need that snow to fill up our lakes come spring.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh night sailing... Just another great reason to live in Brisbane, which is in sunny Queensland, in gorgeous Australia!

We left to go onto the water at 1900 hours on a Friday night (we being myself, and some of the guys and girls who work for me) and it was still like 28 degrees!!! (cel.)

It looked liked rain, so we all put the wet weather gear on, but then it passed and we were so hot it all had to come off! (just the wet weather gear!!!)

Today (Tues 14th Feb) it was just too damn hot to do anything. So, even though we are basking in the sun over here, I would never knock back the opportunity to be in snow!!!

A girl has gotta cool down at some stage!

OG out.

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