Rock the Boat!

Martini Night crew, minus Suzan, who took the picture.
Is anybody moving?

The final Duck Dodge of summer is always Martini Night aboard Full Moon and so it was this week. Crew Randy “Big Pour” Olsen, Art “Moballast” Teller, Grace “OJ Plus” Teller, Michael “Lounge Lizard” Medina, Eileen “Taste of Honey” McHugh, Suzan “No Protection” Schneider, and skipper John “Visualize Vermouth” Mengedoht were pleased that rain held off but dismayed to see nary a ripple of wind on the water.

All three starts began with the fleet parked on the starting line and soon a variety of methods of cheating were displayed as it became apparent that finishing the short course before dark would be unlikely if relying on legal means of propulsion. Full Moon and several other boats employed the time tested sculling of the rudder and then the more obvious rocking the boat from side to side to create some momentum while some others resorted to using their motors. The most entertaining cheating was employed by Mata Hari, who hoisted their spinnaker and then motored around the course backward to provide a full sail, roughly the sailing equivalent of moon walking.

Full Moon actually did manage to sail around the course after the initial bit of cheating, though at speeds that never topped one knot. Our “finish” was, of course, not legal and not counted. Of much more importance were pouring drinks and serving up appetizers to celebrate the end of the season.

It was a great summer and great fun was had by all. Full Moon may do the Rum Run on October 17 but otherwise won’t return to racing until the Goosebumps in mid-January so it’s back to cruising for awhile.