After a great day of race committee for the Georgia Strait Alliance Charity regatta, and celebrating the FIL birthday late into the evening, nothing was quiet so comfortable as my comforters and bed Sunday morning. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed or move let alone go out on Thursdays Child and race not only my first race on the boat, but it would just be me and Ben. After surviving the first year of marriage, the thought of tempting fate and racing together…. But my Ken needed a Barbie, so I threw on my best Barbie Dress, found my Tiara and off we went.
After a quick stop to pick up some much needed coffee and snacks, as well as our friend and race committee member Melissa’s special coffee (she likes to keep the Starbucks staff on their toes) we made it to the club.
With cruising cast iron frying pan along with an ice box full of water and ice left over from the day before, we left were off. While I drove us out under the lions gate bridge Ken was running around the boat setting up what I can only assume are the flappy things. Feeling quiet pleased with myself getting us safely out into English Bay (not getting too distracted by all the salmon that were jumping), I not only kept the boat into the wind as the main was hoisted, I also avoided all the crab traps while keeping Ken on board.
Really my main goals for the day:
1) Stay on board
2) Don’t hit my head
3) Don’t lose Ken overboard
After a quick stop to pick up some much needed coffee and snacks, as well as our friend and race committee member Melissa’s special coffee (she likes to keep the Starbucks staff on their toes) we made it to the club.
With cruising cast iron frying pan along with an ice box full of water and ice left over from the day before, we left were off. While I drove us out under the lions gate bridge Ken was running around the boat setting up what I can only assume are the flappy things. Feeling quiet pleased with myself getting us safely out into English Bay (not getting too distracted by all the salmon that were jumping), I not only kept the boat into the wind as the main was hoisted, I also avoided all the crab traps while keeping Ken on board.
Really my main goals for the day:
1) Stay on board
2) Don’t hit my head
3) Don’t lose Ken overboard
Once we had located Talisman, the committee boat for the day, I realized some things that I don’t normally think about as I am often on the race course, but only as the race committee. It can be tricky to see the flags when starting when there are all the other boats in the way, the fear of “did I read the course right” and “where did I put the S.I.s” only to have them be blown overboard. It is noisy out on the boats as you’re getting ready to start, skippers yelling, boats groaning, crewing shouting back. There is defiantly a buildup of excitement when you hear that 1 minute horn. As we were setting up to tack, Benj talked me through what to do, and with such speed and grace that one can have while wearing a tiara and a long pink sun dress, I truly felt like I knew what I was doing. It didn’t hurt that Ben kept yelling “America’s Cup here we come”.
Suddenly and without much warning we were off! I’m not sure about other racers but I felt oddly calm and perhaps focused. Once we crossed the start line, narrowly avoiding rear-ending Excalibur, we trimmed the sails and rocketed our way across English bay towards the first mark out at Point Grey.
After a few more what could be called Olympic class tacks we got closer to the mark, with Excalibur and Windyfeat close by. As the mark grew nearer my beloved Ken sent me up to the pointy end of the boat in what must have been 20 ft waves to attach the pretty sail aka the spinnaker bag to the pulpit. Somehow I stayed on to the boat, completed my task and made it back to my seat without getting wet or losing the tiara.
Mark one rounded successfully! After rounding the mark, Ken started to run up to the front of the boat and back to me, as I held the tiller. I was given directions to head for a certain point on shore. At this point we were fighting boat for boat with Windyfeat; both Kens on the front of the boat, yelling right-of-way rules at eachother. The spinnaker was up and Ken came back to the tiller and we directed our attention to the next mark. While I may not have been driving or trimming the sail, I did have a very important job, holding the boom and waving to people on the freighters - Imagine 1980’s style Miss America... that was the wave I was going for.
All of a sudden Ken handed the tiller over to me and directed me to keep it straight and to let him know if we were going to hit Stanley Park. Again never have I seen such a display of running and pulling and swearing as he managed to get the spinnaker down. Somehow I don’t think that sail is supposed to look like a figure 8, but the colors were pretty against the blue sky. With me and my tiara at the tiller we gracefully rounded the next mark at QC and were off to the last one.
Now the tricky part, after rounding the last mark off of Kits beach to locate the committee boat and the pin and make sure Ken wasn’t having a heart-attack from taking the sail down earlier. Once spotted; we were off getting closer and closer to the line. And then the horn! We were the second boat to cross the line! Not too bad for a rookie with a tiara.
Ken and Barbie race 2014 … a success for the Rummen’s!
I think next year I’ll bring a picnic lunch for us with some bubbly.
Suddenly and without much warning we were off! I’m not sure about other racers but I felt oddly calm and perhaps focused. Once we crossed the start line, narrowly avoiding rear-ending Excalibur, we trimmed the sails and rocketed our way across English bay towards the first mark out at Point Grey.
After a few more what could be called Olympic class tacks we got closer to the mark, with Excalibur and Windyfeat close by. As the mark grew nearer my beloved Ken sent me up to the pointy end of the boat in what must have been 20 ft waves to attach the pretty sail aka the spinnaker bag to the pulpit. Somehow I stayed on to the boat, completed my task and made it back to my seat without getting wet or losing the tiara.
Mark one rounded successfully! After rounding the mark, Ken started to run up to the front of the boat and back to me, as I held the tiller. I was given directions to head for a certain point on shore. At this point we were fighting boat for boat with Windyfeat; both Kens on the front of the boat, yelling right-of-way rules at eachother. The spinnaker was up and Ken came back to the tiller and we directed our attention to the next mark. While I may not have been driving or trimming the sail, I did have a very important job, holding the boom and waving to people on the freighters - Imagine 1980’s style Miss America... that was the wave I was going for.
All of a sudden Ken handed the tiller over to me and directed me to keep it straight and to let him know if we were going to hit Stanley Park. Again never have I seen such a display of running and pulling and swearing as he managed to get the spinnaker down. Somehow I don’t think that sail is supposed to look like a figure 8, but the colors were pretty against the blue sky. With me and my tiara at the tiller we gracefully rounded the next mark at QC and were off to the last one.
Now the tricky part, after rounding the last mark off of Kits beach to locate the committee boat and the pin and make sure Ken wasn’t having a heart-attack from taking the sail down earlier. Once spotted; we were off getting closer and closer to the line. And then the horn! We were the second boat to cross the line! Not too bad for a rookie with a tiara.
Ken and Barbie race 2014 … a success for the Rummen’s!
I think next year I’ll bring a picnic lunch for us with some bubbly.
