A nice ride, that one is. I'm still not getting lighter, and there may be a few hands down in my neighborhood to help pull strings, so I may be one step closer to re-entering the sailing arena.

Although string beyatch does have it's merits: Low cost of entry (just gear), ability to experience wide variety of boats and setups (sometimes in the same dang regatta ), great learning curve

but you do have a few drawbacks: need earplugs and thick skin (for obscenities lobbed by driver), must be available at moment's notice (Tad's PM 6 hours before an event when I'm 5 hours away ), job uncertainty (especially if you're less than a top tier sailor), and getting that stupid blender to work while you're trimming the spinnaker from the wire.