2013 Mystic Race Week
Posted: Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:43 am
Skippers,
We are about a month and a half away from our favorite stop in the New England Cup Series. Mystic Seaport is truly a wonderful place and this year we will be hosting the J National Championships on Thursday and Friday the 8th and 9th followed by the EC12 Class on Saturday and Sunday the 10th and 11th.
This will be our second time hosting the J Nationals and the third time it has been held at this location. There are tons of photos here in the regatta pages from past events as well as some video on YouTube from the J Nationals. We are expecting a record turn out of J boats this year as the class steadily grows and new skippers set their sights on this event. Last time around we had 14 J boats on the line and this year we think we will be nearing 20 boats. Pretty exciting stuff.
The EC12 portion last year was one of the best I have sailed. Not because we had great breeze and great courses but because the skippers who were there were a pleasure to sail with. It was not your usual group of super quiet skippers who were so focused on their boats that they could not utter a word but a group of guys who just kept the one liners coming and coming. I have never laughed so hard at a "competition" before and I hope to repeat that this time around.
NOR and Schedule of events will be posted soon.
A note about the SABINO. Some may remember the tales of woe when we sailed at the South End of the Seaport years ago and how the SABINO had run over a few boats silly enough to get in her way. (The SABINO is a turn of the century steam powered ferry that makes regular trips up the Mystic Draw bridge and back each hour) Well, in 2011 post the J Nationals, a few brave skippers decided to return the favor and we loaded up with our sharpest carving knives intent on carving the sail numbers of the lost and trampled in the seats of the SABINO. Tim Stone, Bob Greer, Ken Koehler and me, hopped aboard for the Friday night down river cruise with ill intent and some Gin and made our way to a place unnoticed by the other guests and crew. While we waited to shove off, we were immediately taken with the Steam Engine that was the heart of the beast and the crew member who fed it shovel full after shovel full of coal. Then we noticed the complex wood work that made up the very ornate railings and walk ways (think the gin was working now or we have ADD) and as the Captain (our arch enemy) rang for reverse, we made our way out on deck. It was a lovely night and the SABINO slipped effortlessly through the water. We made a new plan, we would confront the man himself, the Captain of the Devil boat. We made our way up top to the bridge and although there was a rope across the walk, we could stand very near the Captain and we began talking to him about his murderous exploits. The Gin was really working now and as we began talking to him, we realized that he was a pretty nice guy. He spoke with us nearly the entire trip down to the mouth of the Mystic River and back. We lost all track of our plan and had a wonderful trip aboard the SABINO. Who would have thought? We never really intended on doing and damage to such a historic vessel but it sounded good in theory. After we met the Captain and worked out our differences, we invited him to join us over the weekend.
So a few brave skippers made peace with the devil boat and found that the Captain and crew were as nice as the rest of the staff at Mystic Seaport. Truly and unforgettable Journey.
Won't you join us?
We are about a month and a half away from our favorite stop in the New England Cup Series. Mystic Seaport is truly a wonderful place and this year we will be hosting the J National Championships on Thursday and Friday the 8th and 9th followed by the EC12 Class on Saturday and Sunday the 10th and 11th.
This will be our second time hosting the J Nationals and the third time it has been held at this location. There are tons of photos here in the regatta pages from past events as well as some video on YouTube from the J Nationals. We are expecting a record turn out of J boats this year as the class steadily grows and new skippers set their sights on this event. Last time around we had 14 J boats on the line and this year we think we will be nearing 20 boats. Pretty exciting stuff.
The EC12 portion last year was one of the best I have sailed. Not because we had great breeze and great courses but because the skippers who were there were a pleasure to sail with. It was not your usual group of super quiet skippers who were so focused on their boats that they could not utter a word but a group of guys who just kept the one liners coming and coming. I have never laughed so hard at a "competition" before and I hope to repeat that this time around.
NOR and Schedule of events will be posted soon.
A note about the SABINO. Some may remember the tales of woe when we sailed at the South End of the Seaport years ago and how the SABINO had run over a few boats silly enough to get in her way. (The SABINO is a turn of the century steam powered ferry that makes regular trips up the Mystic Draw bridge and back each hour) Well, in 2011 post the J Nationals, a few brave skippers decided to return the favor and we loaded up with our sharpest carving knives intent on carving the sail numbers of the lost and trampled in the seats of the SABINO. Tim Stone, Bob Greer, Ken Koehler and me, hopped aboard for the Friday night down river cruise with ill intent and some Gin and made our way to a place unnoticed by the other guests and crew. While we waited to shove off, we were immediately taken with the Steam Engine that was the heart of the beast and the crew member who fed it shovel full after shovel full of coal. Then we noticed the complex wood work that made up the very ornate railings and walk ways (think the gin was working now or we have ADD) and as the Captain (our arch enemy) rang for reverse, we made our way out on deck. It was a lovely night and the SABINO slipped effortlessly through the water. We made a new plan, we would confront the man himself, the Captain of the Devil boat. We made our way up top to the bridge and although there was a rope across the walk, we could stand very near the Captain and we began talking to him about his murderous exploits. The Gin was really working now and as we began talking to him, we realized that he was a pretty nice guy. He spoke with us nearly the entire trip down to the mouth of the Mystic River and back. We lost all track of our plan and had a wonderful trip aboard the SABINO. Who would have thought? We never really intended on doing and damage to such a historic vessel but it sounded good in theory. After we met the Captain and worked out our differences, we invited him to join us over the weekend.
So a few brave skippers made peace with the devil boat and found that the Captain and crew were as nice as the rest of the staff at Mystic Seaport. Truly and unforgettable Journey.
Won't you join us?