Macho and Mini Macho Man Race in Tampa/Dunedin

Again, please don't shoot the messenger about the formatting.. i am simply trying to help promote the local races:


The Macho Man Distance Race
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Start: Davis Island Yacht Club Finish: Dunedin Causeway
Registration: e-mail LJ at race_event_info@yahoo.com
Skipper’s Meeting: None Start: 8:00 am Cost: Free
Registration for the Macho Man is available to everyone, but:
Must be at least 2 persons on each boat.
No Portsmouth Rating/No Crash Boats/Just Bragging Rights
Set up & launching is from Davis Island Dog Beach (outside of DIYC main gate)
You may store your boat/trailer at Dunedin Causeway for Saturday/Sunday racing (at your own risk)
Important: If you do not reach the Dunedin Causeway by 5:00pm, please contact the Race Committee. Contact info will be given after email registration.

Mini-Macho Around the Island
"Rocco/Smitty Memorial Regatta"
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Start/Finish: Dunedin Causeway – Next to Honeymoon Island
Registration: 9:00-10:00am Skipper’s Meeting: 10:00am
Start: 10:30am Cost: prices reduced:
member $10 single, $15 double TBCSI or
nonmember $15 single, $20 double
There will be trophies and food!! T-shirt if you preregister on-line:

Hotel and Around the Island info: LJ at race_event_info@yahoo.com

Races will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing
and the Sailing Instructions

I'm so looking forward to this!

Good to see you sailing something with 2 hulls again...

I just did a laundry list of what it will take to get Thunderpussy in the water by next weekend. It's long. Very long. I'll keep you stocked in rum if you can help.

1. Did you just say your cat is named thunderpussy?
2. did you just ask me to help with your laundry?
3. you dont make enough money to keep me stocked...

(tell me how i can help, i would be glad to... you know my rate... i drumstick per hour)

1. Yes. Sarah hates it.
2. No, but if you're offering...
3. Perhaps not stocked, but comfortable, definitely.

Who is racing the MM this year?

JC and Dalts

Refer here for this year's NOR.

Dam ! You were suppose to go to Pensacola!!!

Any word about setting up Friday and keeping the boats inside of the gate?

Forrest
I-20

has anyone found a reasonably priced hotel?

Palm Court if they have any rooms was $80.00

I'm going to be in the mini-macho. It will be my first distance race and my first race on my Taipan.

I went sailing today in 20-25 mph winds with the intention of taking my boat to the Dunedin Causeway for the mini mach man... What I learned was that I'm not quite ready to undertake that particular adventure yet.

I have only sailed my F16 a few times since I got it and even though I didn't capsize today, I was too uptight to go through with the 8 mile trek alone up the inter-coastal. And if I can't do that today, then going out into the gulf tomorrow would be a bit of a problem.

I'll keep practicing and be ready for next time!

Good Seamanship!!!!!! ... Each set of conditions is a bit of a challenge and experience is priceless.. Plenty of time to get the experience.... AND remember... no need to get that big breeze... big wave experience alone either. One day... some day... that sail looks like one of the top ten sailing days of the year... (today... not so much)

Your post made my top ten list of the Good Judgment exhibited by a cat sailor!

Outstanding!!!!
Thanks for the update!
Mark

12 knots is about all I can race in solo. After that I can usually keep the pointy end up but it isn't racing.

*gasp* I agree with Mark....

My world starts turning to hell singlehanded in at about 15kts. Stuff just starts happening way too fast for my tragically slow mind to comprehend. I'm getting better in the heavier stuff though, but I think 20kts would be an absolute sh!t show singlehanded.

Winds right now (5pm) at the Sebring Airport(85 miles inland from Sarasota area) are 290 (west) at 16 gusting to 22.

The winds for the race were 10-15 mph from the north. I probably could have handled that but my boat wasn't there. Oh well, at least I got to go sailing this weekend.

So right after I type the above (290 at 16G22) I'm at my kitchen window which looks out over the lake, and I see something sparkling out there, in amongst the whitecaps. I figure it's probably a kyaker and I'm seeing the flash of his wet paddle.

I keep binoculars handy in the kitchen to look out at the lake, so I put the glass on the flash...and it turns out it's two guys in the water, holding on to a capsized canoe! So I watch them for a couple minutes, of course neither is wearing a life jacket, and now one swims away from the canoe to chase down the cooler, which is blowing downwind quickly. I look up and down the lake and there are no other boats in sight, no fishermen out in that lumpy water and all the tube pullers and jet skis have gone in.

Well, I figure they will eventually drift down to the far shore, about a mile downwind, or I can call the cops, or I can rig up the Hobie 14 and go get them, which is what I did. It only takes me 5 minutes to pull up the main and get my trap harness and LIFE JACKET on, and I'm on the wire heading out to the middle of the lake to recover these two clowns.

It's a quick beam reach straight out from my beach, I get to them, luff up and ask if they have a rope or anchor line we can use to tow them. They did, so I tell one guy to get on the Hobie with me, and the other guy to hold on to the back of the canoe and try to keep it upright, so it won't roll over and stop us dead, and maybe some of the water will drain out.

The one guy climbs up onto the tramp and I tell him to get foreward as the two of us on the back were sinking the Hobie 14, this guy was at least 200 and I'm 185. I tell him to hold onto their bow line while I get it turned downwind, get the whole mess moving, then head up, back towards the nearest shore. We beach it at my neighbors house, I couldn't get upwind enough to make my house, while dragging the sinking canoe, which also has a 4hp. outboard on the stern, under water. But we had a good 20kt. puff that took us into shore, and got the thing up on the beach and bailed it out.

Then I drove one of the two brothers, (about 19-22yrs. old is my guess) back to their truck/trailer at the public ramp about 3 1/2 miles away. He got their trailer down near enough to the water that we could drag their canoe up to it and load it up.

They were very thankful and a bit embarrased that a Hobie 14 had to come to their rescue, but they were happy to get their canoe and outboard out of the lake, because with the extra weight of that outboard, it was going down.

After they left I got in a couple good, one hull, speed runs across the lake and back. 16-22 and whitecaps is -perfect- for a Hobie 14, but for two big guys in a small canoe with the extra weight of an outboard...not so much.

I was going to take the Prindle 18 but the tramp is trashed and I figured they'd fall right through it if I put them on board! I have to hop from hull to hull, over the hole in the middle, just to tack it. Yes, I'm getting a new one...some day, but the horses come first. Don't ask me why.

How's that for thread creep??

Oh, I forgot to mention the best part. The reason they flipped the boat was...they were both standing up, trying to pee at the same time, and because it was blowing, they were both leaning to the downwind side, and the boat got sideways, as in, 90 degrees to the wind, and in a wave trough, both leaning downwind...well...you know what happened next!

Oh, and to give the whole episode some 'Macho Man' flavor, both of these guys were shirtless and covered with tatoos!

Now THAT'S mui Macho, man!

Ironic that a fat old man , with no tatoos, on his daughter's Hobie 14, had to come save them.

;^)

Nice work.

I hope you got those belts and blades replace on the mower between rescues I really don't want to deal with that sht!t while your out of town.

I appreciate your efforts Ding, "filling the void" while I'm away, but it's been so dry down here this winter the lawn hasn't needed mowing in months!

But...can you lay pipe? The plumbing's a mess!

;^)