"They Look Scruffy...But I Bet They Are Fast"
-overheard at the Galveston fuel dock the morning of
the race
by Catherine Connolly, Tank Commander, S/V
Meisje
October 2004
"WE GOT THIRD!!!!!!!!!!" I could not believe it, none
of us could believe it, all those Wednesday night
races and regattas when we came in dead last, the time
we were so far behind all 15 other boats Race
Committee played taps when we crossed the finish
instead of sounding our finishing horn, the one
regatta when we went over the finish line and
immediately tacked back to start the next race because
the other boats had been waiting so long for us to
finish, how happy it makes Corey to see the other
boats near us on Wednesdays (meaning that we are at
Number 5 and the other boats are going through the
Gap) yes, just happy to see boats that we consider to
be near us, the time we beat Passion by default (hey!
It's usually the only way Meisje wins anything! And
the only way anyone can beat Passion, that gorgeous
gorgeous fast fast boat) so us, the Underdogs of
Wednesday Night Races in Corpus Christi winning third
place in our division in the Harvest Moon Regatta.
Unbelievable.
The race started out fantastic. The whole week was
fantastic. After a relaxing and eventful trip up the
ditch to Freeport, we stepped offshore and made it to
Galveston just before sundown. We pulled into a fuel
dock and found out we could tie up for the night,
which we did. We cooked some burgers, drank a bunch of
beer and waited for the rest of the crew to show
up. The next morning we all stumbled down to the
showers and when we got back to Meisje, Blue Max was
tied up right next to us. Small world. Still wouldn't
want to paint it though. We cast off the lines and
head to the start. But before we did, we overheard
perhaps one of the best quotes about the race I have
ever heard "Oh man, this is going to be just like last
year. I will be wet and hungry and hung-over. But I'm
going again. Because it's there."
Finally we make it to our starting sequence. I have
never seen anything like it, 200 boats all milling
about in what was a rather small area to accommodate
all those boats. I hope next year some of the other
Captains learn what STARBOARD! means. We tack a few
times, jibe then tack and we've started the race! And
stayed on a port tack all the way to Port A.
You know, we are the party boat with all the girls and
Harvest Moon was going to be no different from a
Wednesday. We had three coolers full of beer (plus a
refrigerator full and a couple of 12 packs in the
head, just in case) which made a great obstacle course
down below whenever you had to pee. One time I had
just dozed off and hear this really strange, really
loud, not a normal boat noise at all, a so very very
much not a normal boat noise. I immediately am wide
awake and Matt, who had been on deck and heard the so
very very much not a normal boat noise, came down
below. We investigate and suddenly Matt is pointing
his finger at a sizable, very fast moving river of
water running aft on the cabin sole and says
(completely deadpan and deadly serious) "Water. Water.
Water." I point at it and say "Holy Shit!" which I
thought was much more subtle. Turns out a cooler had
fallen over and spilled all the now melted ice out and
that is where the water came from. But what a moment,
out of a sleep and into a fright. I wasn't sleepy
after that.
So back up on deck it was, keeping watch, checking our
heading which always seemed to be 10 degrees high of
our mark, annoying the other crew members with my
smart ass nature and esoteric ramblings, passing out
fine adult beverages, partaking of fine adult
beverages, ignoring the unlit rigs we passed 15 feet
off our beam because if the bow watch didn't see them,
neither did we. And enjoying the occasional wave that
wailed on us. We always knew we were going to get wet
if Jaime, who had the front row seat on the rail, was
looking at you. Bless her soaking wet little heart.
The moon sets and then it is completly pitch black
out. For about 2 hours. I know I was not the only one
who hallucinated houses on stilts on the water. Off
in the distance we could see the running lights of
other boats so at least you knew the rest of the world
was still going on somewhere. The sun came up and it
is my first sunrise offshore. The wind sets down some,
the seas set down a lot and then I am on the VHF "Race
Committee, Race Committee, this is Meisje, sail number
620, rounding the Port A marker." And you know Corey,
we started rigging the boat to fly the spinnaker at
the finish. A beautiful set and a record 5 minute
spinnaker run crossing the finish line and cheers and
beers for all of us on that fat little bitch Meisje
and we are going home to Corpus. As for placing
third, for us, it's the same as winning.
