Wheels on the Bus

RS Aero racing on Lake Massapoag

Not last Sunday

On Sunday I went to scenic Lake Massapaog to do a spot of RS Aero racing.

Before the racing I met a new member of the club who owns a Laser Pico.

She explained to me that she was looking for something a bit more exciting than the Pico, and that someone had recommended she should check out the RS Aero.

Thank you "someone" whoever you are.

We had a good discussion about the RS Aero and the three rigs and the differences between the Pico and the Aero. Look forward to giving her a demo in the Aero one day soon.



Then I went off to race my RS Aero with my two fellow founders of the Boston Aero fleet.

I have to say they have become annoyingly fast over the summer. But that's OK. It's good to have training partners who are a bit faster than you, they say. Whoever "they" are.

In two races, first one "friend" and then the other "friend" basically took me out of the race on the start line. But that's OK. I need to learn to be more aggressive on the start line.

In the other race, my cunningham came out of its slot and I had to stop to do emergency repairs. But that's OK. I need to learn to remember to tuck the tail of my cunningham under that little bit of shockcord whose sole purpose is to keep the cunningham from coming out of it slot. Duh!

I sorta kinda had a chance some times to go as fast as my friends upwind, but downwind they were much faster than me. But they are skinny, scrawny kids who are respectively at least 20 and 40 lbs lighter than me, not to mention a couple of years younger. So it's just physics. I should sail my 9 rig next time and show them what a fat old dude can do.

So I mellowed out and sang a few verses of Wheels on the Bus while I was sailing and enjoyed sailing on one of the prettiest lakes in New England in the coolest boat on the planet.

Life is good.