Tonight I sailed with my son. We had to motor to the start area because there was absolutely no wind. We had dinner on the way and I was bad and threw my excess jimmyjohn crust to the seagulls. Created some commotion. J did not think we would be able to sail but we had a transistor radio so we could listen to the Ms and King Felix so life was not too bad. It was about 65 degrees and not raining so we called it summer.
I am the race committee for the Wednesday races. I bring the marks, set the course and run the start. There are only 3 boats this year so it is not a big deal but the person who steps up to do things get things done. About 6:30p the other 2 boats got there the wind picked up (ENE!) and we ran a race. I drove the upwind and then let J do the downwind so I could manage the spin. We ran twice around and ended up winning the race because of good wind calls, good driving and good crew work.
So here is the twist #1. Because J drove so well downwind I asked him to drive the next race and I turned on the camera. I am not sure where he gets it but he is an ice-cold driver. So confident. Watch the ‘fleet’ split as we come up to the 1st start in the video. This camera has a fish-eye lens and is mounted on the back of a 22’ boat so what looks like a few feet difference in the video is actually inches. He drove right into Moya (about 10 inches [1m15s]) on the 2nd start and we tacked on Bullet about a minute into the 3rd race with about 18 inches to spare [7m1s]. The guy has chops and the other skippers gave it up to him (who is that ringer?). Fun sailing!
Enjoy the video if you have patience. If you have a good internet connection and good graphics, try viewing in 720p HD. [Aside – in the early 1960s Seattle voted not to become a Miami Beach and severely restricted the heights of buildings on the lake, you can see from the video that it looks like we are sailing in Idaho or Montana, very few manmade structures. It makes it a great place to boat]
Twist #2 – in 10 days there will be tributes and remembrances of a decade ago. This is my contribution. Within 48 hours of the tower collapse, Neptune had several new energetic good people apply to join the Club (a member-run non-profit volunteer organization). Those people wanted to re-center/re-balance their lives. The Club has and still is benefitting from their contributions.
For me the wound is still raw after 10 years. I do not claim any special connection. I did not lose anyone close but I happened to be up early and watched it. I had spent time in the Middle East. I was in London when the City was bombed and am politically aware because that is my academic passion. I stayed across the street from the US embassy in Kuwait for a month after it was bombed – during the Iraq-Iran war. I lived near and have visited the Pentagon (not on a public tour). I was working closely with a client in Manhattan who had to hike home across the GW bridge that day. I did not trust myself to talk to my kids about it, but of course they know more than me. It is a defining moment in their communal lives. On that day, I re-dedicated myself to my truest passion, my kids.
This echoes for me now because my youngest went off to college last week and my oldest went sailing with me tonight and loved it. I have not heard much from my youngest, which is the best possible scenario – she is diving into the college environment completely (I have a favorite pic that epitomizes this). As for my oldest, he cannot make any money sailing but his attitude towards the evening made me so proud to have not mis-invested the last 10 years. My family and I have benefitted.
So, to those spoiled sons of the worst generation in the cradle of civilization, back fired!
And don’t even get me started on the huge echoes this year in the land of the crescent moon (which was also very visible last night and absolutely beautiful with the red accent at sunset).
