For the last week, the first Nor’easter of the fall season has been battering the East Coast. Stuck off Atlantic City (maybe it wanted to do a little gambling? It’s hard to say), it forced cancellation of racing on the first day of Fleet 329’s 75th running of the famous Frigid Digit Regatta.
Faced with impossible sailing weather, the crew at Severn Sailing Association organized an impromptu Lightning Lab, arranged interview sessions between David Starck and racers ranging in age from 13 to 85, moved the banquet from 6 pm to 2 in the afternoon, all to make the day worthwhile.
But what about the lost sailing? With many people in the middle of Fall campaigns for G.O.T. Flashes stickers and burgees, a lost day late in the year becomes a big thing. No one wants to miss an award level because they went all the way to Annapolis but could not go out. That would suck!
Not to worry! Noting that the wind, although strong, was blowing directly across the SSA turning basin and it was only sort of raining, Bill Cabrall brought 16515 to the hoist, put ‘Here We R’ in the water and pulled it upwind to the far dock. Once the board was a down and the rudder on, people jumped aboard and Bill cast off. 3 minutes later his hearty crew had drifted 40 yards to the hoist, and the first group disembarked. The boat was pulled back upwind and the process repeated 2 more times. All-in-all 12 or 13 people succeeded in being in a Lightning ‘untied from the dock’, as G.O.T. Flashes rules require. Everyone got their day and we had a ton of fun.
A G.O.T. Flash Cruise in the SSA Turning Basin
At this point in the year, 2,119 days of Lightning activity have been logged, 85% of our goal of 2,500 days for 2026. David Werley, Jonette Werley, Bob Shapiro and Ken Brown have all made it to the 50-sail milestone. 80 other sailors have more than 40 days logged with a month or more left in the sailing season.
It’s turning out to be a great sailing year – Get out There!
Bill Cabrall, G.O.T. Flashes Coordinator