We Blame the Committee! :-)

The starting signals for Team Spirit Night were inconsistent – and not by a small amount – we’re talking well over a minute! Add to that a start line massively favoring a port tack/Committee Boat approach and chaos ensued, though perhaps not much more than most evenings. Rather than wait endlessly for the horn while heading for the disadvantaged end of the line, Full Moon crew Michael “Margarita” Medina, Doug “Big Cam” Schoemaker, Allison “Team Gear” Bahe, Neil “Beer” Piispanen, Daniel “Big Coke” Mengedoht, and skipper John “We’re Just Going For It” Mengedoht crossed when we thought the signal should have come and ended up some 30 seconds early compared to the “actual” starting horn. We had plenty of over-early company, though we were clearly the worst offender. Oh, well, a duck sticker was not likely to be in the cards and, hey, it’s just the Duck Dodge!

Some of the second start boats heading for the first mark. Full Moon was already gone!

After a quick close reach to the Freeway buoy and only two tacks to the Aurora buoy, Full Moon was still in the “lead.” The mighty Equalizer was hoisted and all looked well until running into a dead zone halfway down the lake. This allowed several boats to catch up from behind before nearly everyone dropped their spinnakers, including Full Moon. The rest of the leg to the AGC buoy was painful as the wind was light and fickle.

Neil, Allison, John, Doug, and Daniel enjoying the sun.

Heading back north, the Equalizer was hoisted again since the wind had clocked around but the wind died yet again and the Equalizer was brought down about halfway to the finish line. At this point, the Margaritas were brought forth and any “racing” was half-hearted. Full Moon did cross the line to complete one lap and continued around the Freeway and Aurora buoys but then elected to call it an evening. Wind or no wind, it was a gorgeous evening and fun to be on the lake.