The big radio-controlled sailboat regatta was a huge hit in Poppleton Park about a week ago. Dave didn't race, since he felt he didn't have enough experience yet and didn't want to get in the way. It was still fun to watch, and with 34 boats entered, they had to split them into three fleets, so there weren't too many on the course at the same time. The Palm Beach Gardens RC Club ran the races and were extremely organized. Race meeting and instructions...
Their chase boat was a kayak, and the paddler also was in charge of moving markers and trying to get rid of any weeds that floated onto the course (he stayed away from the gator that checked out what was happening though 😉). There were two full days of competitive racing with Saturday set aside for the smaller Dragon 65s and Sunday for the 95s, which is what Dave has. They didn't even have an official break for the provided lunch, and the racers had to grab it when their fleet wasn't racing. The funniest thing was when the PRO (Principal Race Officer) said that as soon as one race ended with most of the boats crossing the finish line, another would begin. If you were way back in the race, you were considered in a bubble, since a new race may have started before you finished. If you were a "Bubble Boy" and needed time to eat, you could request it and they would give you a few extra minutes. This wasn't quite as important with the 95s with 3 fleets but was with the 65s as they only had 2 fleets.
Today is another local race day and Dave will be out there with perfect wind conditions to get the experience he needs to enter the next big competition. Our friend Bob, and also our neighbor John across the street, both have new 95s and will be racing today. Somehow, I think they will end up being the "Bubble Boys" this time. Practice makes perfect though! 😎
No comments:
Post a Comment