Kudos to the Rudder Club and Palatka Yacht Club they really stepped up their game this year. We had a festival/party in the boat park Friday evening with a live band, oysters and of course beer. They also had a small warm up race Friday afternoon which we plan to do next year. Plus Beef-o-Bradies has the restaurant contract with the host hotel so the food is a bit better. Clearly the city of Palatka is behind this event and it really showed, what a difference.

It's easy to hate this race because it's always a light air affair but the host clubs do everything they can to make it worth your while. Trust me when I tell you that the post race stories can be just as entertaining if not more so than if we had wind.

The best part of this race was chatting up with friends I hadn't seen in a year, as well as those I see all the time.

I did find out this year that Gina McDonald can talk some trash and her timing is perfect. Ten minutes before we splash the boat she walks over and pats me on the back and all I heard in my head was 'Awe sweety, it's too bad we're going to kick your a$$'. The woman is brilliant!

Just remember to bring your good karma, this is one race where it's better to be lucky than good.