Top 10 List for Day 3 of the Great Texas: Here we go again, day 3 of the Great Texas (Matagorda to Surfside, 65 miles, won by 2 Wire Sailing). Let’s have fun! It’s Friday night and someone, who will remain unnamed, slipped me a very stiff rum and coke. So excuse, the typos, mistakes and everything else, here comes a stream of of thoughts about the day of sailing out of my brain into yours!

1. Four minutes, four minutes, four minutes! In a day of light, flucky, bizarre, unpredictable, frustrating, light, (and any other adjective you can dream up for yuck) wind, Team 2 Wire Sailing showed why they have 7 wins and Team Quiksilver is still looking for their first. According to my unreliable sources on the beach (the same ones that gave me the rum and coke), Philippe and Mike now have a four minute lead. So, tomorrow we are set for an epic battle. Once upon a time, I had a five minute lead on John on the last day. He got me on a light, flucky, weedy day. I wish Team Quiksilver the best but it will be tough to hold off the champ!
2. Oh, oh, north wind? Welcome to Texas where the wind blows out of the southeast in the summer. A thunderstorm rolled through last night and upset the balance of the wind. When we hit the beach, the wind was out of the north. Oh, oh, it was going to switch and when it did, it was not going to be pretty. It waiting until about noon to make the switch. When it did, it did it in epic style. The wind went to zero and then very, very slowly filled in from the south east. For 20 minutes, we bobbed along point straight at our waypoint trying to do 1 knot off of wave action.
3. Dashers, we love you! I love arriving in Surfside! It is like a big family reunion! So many great friends on the beach. Everyone shows up (with sandwiches and stiff rum and cokes). Dennis Banks big old ARC 22 was on the beach. Andrew and Melissa were getting everyone registered. Lots of boats and lots of fun.
4. The Sweep: Today, Juke and I served as the sweep for the fleet . As gracious hosts, we felt it was our duty to make sure that everyone arrived safely ahead of us. It had nothing to do with that hole we got stuck in early in the day when the wind shifted. We hung in the hole a little too far offshore making sure everyone else got out of it just fine. We even were so nice as to spot them a couple mile lead. Then, we held back even more in the rain squall and made sure that everyone else popped out well in front of us. Nope, we did not finish in last because we did not sail well, no we did it out of generosity - that is our story and we are sticking to it!
5. Mikie Rohrer: As I was writing this list, Mike Rohrer popped in and said that he could empathize with my pain (for coming in last). Last year, he got caught in a hole off-shore on this leg and lost about 20 minutes. If y’all don’t know Mikie, he is one of the greatest guys on the earth - he is currently in third and won the GT a few years back. Also, he serves as the Treasurer for the fleet. Finally, he is Division Commodore. Yes, basically he is a kick a** good guy and I thank him for his kind words of encourage after our less than stellar results for the day!
6. Wind Today: Ok, back to the wind today. It was truly all over the place. Think of a point of sail and we did it. Upwind, downwind, reach, spin reach, jib reach, check, check, check. This was a day to test the gear changing abilities of any sailor. The wind gods gave us so many challenges that our heads were spinning. Hats off to 2 Wire Sailing for showing amazing talent on this challenging of a day.
7. Dolphins: The nature that we get to see on this race is just amazing. You have never really seen Texas until you have seen it from the inside out. The pure, raw feeling of being in a tiny boat on an awesome powerful ocean is unbelieveable. Magic moments just happen. Today, a school of 8 dolphins started to follow us. They trailed us for ten minutes checking us out the whole time. If you have the ability to do this race, you need to do it just for the experience of doing something few people ever get to do.
8. Speaking of fun! OK, so it was bit light today, but the last 10 miles was a put a smile on your face fun reach to the finish. Finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, the wind came on big time at the end giving us a big reach around the Freeport jetties. We were double trapped working the main and traveller flying at 18-20 knots. When we rounded the jetties, we dropped traveller and poured on the speed to the finish. We punched the hulls hard but Juke was chicken lined in and we just laughed at our near capsizes. Whew, it was just plain, old fun sailing.
9. TCDYC and Colin Casey: We are so grateful to Colin Casey and TCDYC for tonight’s party and dinner. They also do a great job at feeding all the Dashers and GTers. I am ready to join the party as so as I get this posted, but first…
10. Who gave me that stiff Rum and Coke? It was my very old friend Jamie Gaines who I had not seen for the past 13 years. Back in 2001, Jaimie did the Worrell 1000 with John Tomko. He then helped organize Nacra Nationals and then moved away. Today, on the beach he showed back up and gave me a friendly rum and coke. Life is all about good friends!