Alpha 3 2018 Day 9 – Race Day Sail From Cane Garden Bay To Mountain Point

written by mate, Andrew Dyer
July 31, 2018

The sun broke over our sleeping heads, casting its benevolent rays over the new day. We were soon all up and about; the day was about to start with a bang. Hurrying through breakfast, making pre-departure checks, we dropped the ball and headed to the start line for the race. Today was RACE DAY, and the course was between Cane Garden Bay and Mountain Point, a four hour sail with a pretty open upwind course.

As we sat like poised sprinters before the start line, each boat hyped themselves up, from the captain to crew, everyone feeling the excitement building. Over the VHF, we heard the start signal and we were off! It’s only when we have the whole crew working together that we see how fast we can truly work. All the boats blithely hoisted their sails, shaving minutes off of their previous records. From the first minute, everyone was on their toes, and for the next four hours the competition between the boats never ceased.

After zigzagging between between the Dogs, Mountain Point appeared on the horizon. Though it was close, Kiribati came in a clear first, Tintoret a close second and Meursault third.

On anchor, we proceeded with lunch, enjoying the unique view of the open ocean. After lunch, we had an afternoon of water sports and relaxing on the boat. After showers were over, we started the evening’s fun, Chili Cook Off! Every boat had to come up with a theme and cook the best chili of their lives. Besides the exciting theme, the presentation of the chili reflected the thought and care they all put into it.

After the boat was all clean, we settled down for boat meeting. We finished boat meeting as eye lids drooped and it wasn’t long before the boat was all quiet and still, the excitement of the day still settling in our sleeping minds.