The day began for me with a trip up the mast on Bandana. They had taken the wind transducer down for repairs and it needed to go back up before the race. So while some made lunches, and others rigged the boat, I went up. I love it up there as long as there are no thunderstorms around! Bandana has power winches so really anyone can go up... no need for a lightweight chair rider and hefty muscle bound winch grinder when you have electric!

The morning was windless with a flat calm ocean and the race committee decided to postpone the start for 30 minutes and we were not unhappy with that choice.

This race is a 'pursuit' race and that means that all boats start in reverse order of their handicap rating so there is no math at the end of the day. The boat that finishes first, is first...etc. It's really fun to get out there and just work at passing boats one by one, and hope that once you get by them, you won't need to worry about them again. It isn't always the case, as sometimes one or 2 manage to sneak back up on you but not usually. And of course, keep an eye on your back to protect any of those that started after you from getting by you.

The breeze filled in, nice at first... beautiful sailing...

Then, as is typical for Sout Florida in the Spring, the sky got black and the storm blew in with some pretty good gusts and plenty of rain. Sail changes were happening around the course, though with the lack of visibility, we couldn't see many, and we were able to get the spinnaker down and jib unfurled in time.

All in all, Bandana had a great day. We took 2nd in class and 4th in fleet and won the Fundraiser challenge! A big THANK YOU to all who participated and organized this event and particularly to all of you who donated!

The awards party was fun with a good band and plenty of dancing.