Young Sailors...and Great Parents

The local sailing club to which we belong is the site of an annual Youth Regatta that includes youth sailing clubs from all over the Pacific Northwest. The regatta is hosted by a Portland club but held at our club because...well, because it's a nice club with a nice lake and good camping facilities.

These kids are fun to watch.They have such enthusiasm and are so good.They aren't afraid to jump on a boat they've never sailed before and that has unfamiliar rigging.After a few instructions from the boat owners and within a few minutes of leaving the dock, they're heeled over and flying across the water; laughing and grinning from ear-to-ear.It's pretty fun to watch.

There were over 70 boats that participated in the regatta this year; everything from very small, single-handed boats to 3-person crews on Lightnings. We watched this pair of Lightnings approach the finish line from our house deck before driving down to the club...that was fun! This picture was also taken from our deck.

I admire these kids. They are polite, they are attentive and they are having fun.

I also admire their parents. They encourage their kids to participate in an activity they love.

And they're sitting right there ... all day ... cheering on their kids, taking pictures, and waiting to congratulate them on a fine race. No matter where in the pack they finished.

I never thought I'd ask but...where's the wind?

The local sailing club that we belong to had its annual regatta on the 5th and 6th of June. With all the rain we've had, the lake was very full and all of the sailors were ready for a great weekend of racing. Unfortunately, Saturday was a beautiful day - the kind you wish for with sunshine streaming down, temperatures in the low 70s, and a very slight breeze. Perfect! Except if you want to sail. There were over 70 boats registered to participate, with a couple of sailors flying in from East Coast and midwestern states. At one point, the breeze seemed to pick up. The race committee spotted it from the docks.You could see the wind filling in on the far side of the lake. Everyone dashed to docks, untied their boats and hoisted the sails...it was time to sail!

Well, maybe not.

Only one race got run on Saturday and from what I heard, it was a pretty slow race. When I got to the club around 3pm, the sailors were sitting around the club grounds visiting and anxiously watching the water. Watching for wind...that never came. This is Team Frenzy...being hopeful that the wind is filling in!Oh well, there was still Sunday. And if conditions were right, it would be possible to get enough races in for the regatta to still count. Randy and I had volunteered to prepare the Sunday morning breakfast. When we woke at 6:30am, we could hearing the rain beating down on the roof. It wasn't a good sound. We hurried to the club to get coffee started and pancakes mixed for those sailors who were camping. Let me be very clear, this wasn't just rain. This was like monsoon-type rain. It was rain like we get in January. The amount of rain forecasters warn could trigger flash floods. And there just didn't seem to be an end to it. It finally let up - just a bit - about 11:30. With rain gear donned, the sailors headed out once again. Only to have what little wind there was, die completely just as the race committee was preparing to start the first fleet race. The sailors floated around on the lake for well over an hour before cancelling the races. Let me just make this point...Sailors aren't very happy people when they don't get to sail.