I Remember You

I remember you. You were the father racing Lasers with his son on that light wind day many years ago. We were approaching the leeward mark and I was clear ahead when we were about to enter the zone. So you executed two enormous, totally unnecessary, totally illegal roll gybes that accelerated your boat way faster than it would have been in the absence of the gybes, and you zoomed past me to secure the inside position at the mark. Did you really have to cheat to beat someone like me? What a fine example you were to your son. All those years ago but I still remember you.



I remember you. You were a big deal class champion, and I was a nobody and a newcomer to the class. You fouled me in a blatant port starboard incident. I protested you and asked you to do your turns.  Your response was to tell me to, "Fuck off!" Nice. You made me wonder what kind of people sailed in that class. I don't sail in that class any more. But all these years later, I remember you.



I remember you. I was a Laser sailor in a club where the biggest class was the Sunfish. You lent me your Sunfish so I could try it out and see if I liked it. It felt weird at first but I ended up buying a Sunfish and qualifying for the Worlds and sailing in the Dominican Republic and Colombia and meeting all sorts of wonderful people in Sunfish land. All because of your act of kindness. It must be almost 25 years ago but I remember you.



I remember you. You were the one who welcomed me to the new fleet, the new club, the new country, the regatta in a new region, to sailing on a new lake… There are lots of you. You are the ones who make sailing such a friendly sport. You probably don't remember me but I remember all of you.



How will people in sailing remember you?