Hmmm, what words can describe this year’s Downriver Race, from Chestertown to the Rock Hall Yacht Club on June 10?  Let’s see…
 

Miserable: Race conditions were truly miserable with very little wind, oppressive heat and humidity. With the light, shifting winds and an incoming tide, the only way to make it to the starting line on time was to launch during the morning skippers’ meeting - which we did, congratulating ourselves on our good planning and local knowledge.
 
Tortured: Unfortunately, our local knowledge ended up killing us as we kept expecting a brisk southerly sea breeze to fill in “just up ahead.”  The other Wayfarers caught up easily flying their chutes while we expected a massive shift “any minute now”.
 
Painful: No, the wind never increased and never swung around south.  And my butt grew mighty sore from sitting in the same spot on the deck hour after hour.
 
Despairing: The race dragged on endlessly. I knew Dad was at the end of his rope when he started muttering obscenities.  Did I mention there was no wind?
 
Weird: Sometimes it seemed each boat carried its own micro-climate as first one boat, then another would gain ground on the rest, carried along by just the right combination of tide, current, and fickle wind.
 
Unbelievable: When it came down to it, the finish was incredibly exciting as all four boats bore down on the line together.  After four and a half hours of sailing, the Wayfarers all finished within 30 seconds of each other!
 
Sweet: The new boat, W8705, (see SKIMMER 2011-2, page 3) moved beautifully in the light air. It was clear this year that our errors were human errors, and those are correctable.  It has been discouraging to be so far back in the fleet year after year sailing the old boat.  But it was sweet this year to feel competitive all the way to the end.
 
Supportive: Dad and I work pretty well together, and when he was exhausted, I was able to find words to keep him going.  Similarly he lifted my spirits when I was exhausted on Saturday.  Furthermore, we felt like our timing and partnership improved over the weekend.  We definitely ended on a high note so there is a lingering sense of optimism for next year.
 
Sustaining: Finally there is the community of Wayfarer sailors that makes the effort to come to this regatta each year rewarding.  Less seasoned racers likely would have sat around and grumped about the conditions, but the storytelling and banter among this group is worth (almost) any amount of suffering. You realize that this day may have been miserably painful and tortuous, but it’s only one race in a lifetime of sailing.  Good persons are able to laugh at themselves and get up the next day to do it again.
 
Re-creation: For me at least, the joy of handling a well-balanced, fast boat, being with supportive family and friends, and feeling that sense of personal competency is more sustaining in the long run than race results.  And that’s why I came back home more relaxed and optimistic than I left. (So, “Dad, after seeing such a corny, non-competitive, thought in print, do you still want me back next year?”)