Victory is Sweet

We had the Thursday night race tonight; we came out of the start like a rocket, secured the lead, and never let it go. Not only did we beat our arch nemesis Lazy Stripper, but we actually beat all other 36 boats in the competition (record amount of competitors!). Total domination - nobody else even stood a chance. The tacks were flawless, we pulled a Mexican around the leeward mark with textbook form, and made our way to the finish while holding off a 470 that was right on our tail. Beautiful beautiful beautiful night of sailing tonight. We are amazing.

Taking on Water

The rain felt like popcorn kernels being hurled at us, pelting our skin, soaking our clothes, covering the deck, and obscuring our vision. The strong winds came in gusts as if trying to catch us off guard while being pitched like a toy boat by the choppy white-capped water all around. Looking up, I could see one tiny blue window in the expanse of ominous rainclouds dominating the sky. I took a breath and allowed my mind to imagine reaching my hands into that hole and ripping it open, pulling away the blanket of darkness. The clouds would give way to a beautiful bright evening with the setting sun casting its warm light over the steep green mountains and then reflecting across the crisp blue water. The moment was cut short when a wave washed over my already drenched feet snapping me back to reality, and not a moment too soon. On cue, everyone prepared to tack and as soon as the sails began to luff we immediately set to work moving, tugging, releasing, pulling, bracing, cranking, and cleating with utmost speed and precision, unhindered by the rocking of the boat or the pelting rain from above.

I didn't hear the results, but I honestly had a great time sailing tonight. Kimo, the captain, is very fun to sail with and he managed his 4-man crew tonight very well. We had a great group dinner afterward (everyone brings/cooks a dish or two). I intend to continue helping him out every Thursday even when Meg goes back to the mainland in July. I love sailing.

I'm on a BOAT!

Never thought I'd see the day.

Even that parrot made it on a boat - how cool is that? Unfortunately, this boat was competition. We ended up passing them in the final stretch though, so everything worked out.

Yeah, details. Meg has connections with this very extraordinary and extremely outgoing woman who is a long-time member at a yacht club. This woman landed us a spot on a boat for a Thursday night race series: very cool. What's cooler was the event itself. The wind was strong but not forceful, the sun was bright but not oppressive, and though competition got fierce at times, it was generally laid back. As in Cape Town, the backdrop to this race was breathtaking. The mountains dropped to foothills which, sprinkled with palm trees, rolled right into the water. The swift breeze carried with it a freshness I have experienced nowhere before; it was the Pacific salt water mixed with flowers and plant life that can be found on these islands alone. Absolutely stunning.

Meg took me grocery shopping at the Marines base a couple days ago and thought it would be a good idea to do a bit of job searching while we were there. The job search was unsuccessful but I did get signed up with a dive club through the military base. I have my first dive first thing tomorrow morning at Shark's Cove. It's my first dive in about 355 days, so I'm a little bit nervous that my skills will noticeably not match my certification level. Today I also scheduled a dive for Sunday morning with one of the guys at the dive shop I'm working with (Aaron's Dive Shop). I'm bubbling over with excitement despite any concern about familiarity with diving. Also it's my first time diving in the US and the first time diving with the imperial system which I'm very unfamiliar with. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned!