Sailing on Sunday Racers,
One of the crew pointed out that we got our Vuja-De wish this past Sunday because, well, even though sailing all the way to 18 has been done hundreds of times before by yours truly, the breeze was crazy in the middle and the old "we're gonna play the wing dams up the right side" just wasn't seeming to pay off as it has almost every other time in the past. So, something different, but somehow the same, and yet, another great SOS. It was great in major part because as I looked around the crew I saw folks who I had been sailing with or against for upwards of 35 years. These are people with whom we've shared bad shoulders, knee surgeries, broken fingers, bad backs, kids and grandchildren growing up and going off to college, buying and selling houses, cars, and other boats, wrecking cars, banging up boats, starting and retiring from careers, changing jobs, closing businesses, delivering boats to the coast, up the coast, back down the coast, down to Mexico, buying sails, selling sails, breaking gear, cooking meals, fishing and catching off the stern, eating that fish sashimi, barbecuing on the beach, laughing at the same jokes and stories, missing those who have left us, and on and on and on...
I guess with Thanksgiving right around the corner, a fun, easy day of steady breeze, and being surrounded by friends, I just got a little nostalgic and had a welling up of the old attitude of gratitude for the crew community of which I am part and the Portland sailing community at large. We had a Cal 20 Board Meeting last night and as I looked around the table, most of us have been doing this sailing volunteer thing for our little fleet for well over a decade, and for some, almost 20 years. I could say the same thing about boards at CYC, SYSCO, RCYC, PYC, OCSA, WSC, VLSC, OWSA, ISC, and every other boating related fleet or club in the area. The number of volunteers who week after week, month after month, year after year step up to do committee boat, run Pancho, organize chili feeds, do awards parties, mentor new sailors, write newsletters, post results, manage the budgets, and on and on is incredible. We have an amazing sailing community here in Portland. Are we perfect? Nope. Can we attract more non-sailors to our wonderful sport? Yep. Can we engage more folks to volunteer so some of us old farts can pass the mantle to young whippersnappers with better ideas? You bet. But on the whole, what a great community to be a part of. Attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness. How's about this coming weekend when you step on the boat before you start pulling out the sheets to rig and the sails to unfurl, you shake the hand or do a bro-hug of each of your fellow crew members just to say "thanks" for bringing their best week after week to this sport we love? Appreciate friends, build community...in my book, there's no better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Details:
Remember no racing December 1, 22, and 29
Two new slots have opened up on the Signup sheet for committee boat duty
See you on the river,
Denny Damore
CYC SOS Race Captain