it’s never like this
It’s not usually like this – the old adage we seem to hear at every event around the world.
For the St Francis Yacht Club’s annual Rolex Big Boat Series, there is no wind forecast over 20 knots for the week, and Friday no more than 15. For those who prepare all year for heavy air, it’s a bit of let down. Norm Davant, who’s been a part of the RBBS for as long as I can remember, said "I’ll know more about the weekend in the morning, but tomorrow and Friday won’t have the usual punch of the Big Boat Series."
Perhaps the cat sailors who are here as a class for the first time in the RBBS will be relieved at the relatively mild conditions. Among the seven entries, the elegant SIG45 racer cruiser will be sailing with Tom Blackaller’s old ProSail 40 crew. A classic gesture by owner Tom Siebel, in paying his respects to the AC legend who dreamed of multihull racing on the bay. We’ll be keeping our eye on the cat class, who’s crew also includes an SA favorite, Genny Tulloch on board Peter Stoneberg’s ProSail 40, Shadow. With PRO Peter "Luigi" Reggio, they should be in good hands.
Among the 24 strong IRC class, former Rolex winners TNT and Soozal will be at it again, StFYC favorite Swiftsure is recovered and back on the water after a massive rudder breakage, the Farr 400 who made her debut here last year is back, Meanie who had to abandon their Newport Bermuda run has returned, and Double Trouble is back from Hawaii to try for a shot at the podium. There are many others who are ready to rumble, let’s just hope they can figure out the comparatively light air conditions, and the current.
At the moment, a few of the 105s, 120s and IRC boats are out for an afternoon practice, alongside Artemis’ AC45. Others are pulled up to the guest dock and making their final tweaks It’s cool, fresh, lightly cloudy and there’s that great pre-regatta feeling going on. Folks cleaning winches, calibrating their instruments, checking their sail inventory one last time and saying hello around the dock. It reminds me of the oft quoted saying from The Wind in the Willows: "There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." – Paige Brooks
