there was usually a lot of help to carry boats over the rocks at the hotel, but I only floated up the St. John's twice, so I'm sure the protocol is different.
And I used the term "floated" correctly. I had to sit there for two hours while JC smoked cancer sticks to see where the wind was. At one point we parked under a cloud and watched the breeze go straight upwards.... good times.
I still like that race, though... Just a bit of a logistical challenge
I remember you guys in that race - sailing with that Urinator spinnaker. We had great wind all day sailing with the kite and chasing just behind you guys while blowing the doors off all the monos as we picked our way through the fleet. The wind only died in the last 5 miles or so when the thunderstorms rolled in and made things very exciting for those that finished 10 minutes + after the N20's finished.
I heard and named my favorite quote of all time that afternoon. While sipping back beers and listening to the VHF of all the calamity taking place as the storm bared down on the fleet, they towed in an elderly canoe sailor. Someone in some sort of official capacity was attending to the guy as he sat on one of the retaining walls. I didn't hear the offer exactly, but from what I could tell, they were offering to call EMS. His response? "Christ!, I'm 80 years old - I'm SUPPOSED to shake. Just show me to the beer tent". I thought to myself, I want to be that dude and I brought him a beer.
Technically the beer tent was in the club's VHF antenna as it had been lifted from over our heads to the roof by a strong gust only a few minutes earlier. Thankfully, the bartender never missed a beat.
