Sloppy Slop

Today's schedule included two practice races held in breezes of about 12-15 with some stronger gusts of around 20. The first race was a Windward-Leeward, twice around. The second was a "P" course that included a beat, two reaches and a run of half of the beat leg, again twice around. The second race was interesting as it included a barge, the Sternwheeler cruise boat, a photoboat kicking up lots of wake, and a course layout that had the leaders sailing through the bulk of the fleet more so that with the W course. I think Rohan won the first race and I know Bora won the second (by a leg) but both results are misleading as Bora didn't sail the first and Rohan (along with a few of the top Aussies) didn't sail the second.

My goal was to record two finishes without breaking anything. I used the small Hanson sail (too small in the breeze) but did learn some of its limitations. At the end of the day my finishes were dead last of all the starters (some folks didn't sail at all) so in some respect I achieved my goal. The extra couple of hours in the boat have shown me that the borrowed FC one-piece board, while solid and effective, has too much slop in the well, making the turns downwind very wobbly. Tomorrow I'll wrap some packing tape around the board where it exits the hull to try to tighten it up.



The only picture today is of my boat ready for launching. Note the colors of black and blue, red and grey - sorta what I'm looking like. I'll try to snap some interesting pics tomorrow. In the meanwhile, enjoy Archie Bell and the Drells.

Tighten Up, by Archie Bell and Billy Buttier (1968)

Hi everybody
I'm Archie Bell of the Drells
From Houston, Texas
We don't only sing but we dance
Just as good as we walk
In Houston we just started a new dance
Called the Tighten Up
This is the music
We tighten up with

First tighten up on the drums
Come on now, drummer
I want you to tighten it up for me now
Oh, yeah

Tighten up on that bass now
Tighten it up
Ha, ha, yeah
Now let that guitar fall in
Oh, yeah
Tighten up on that organ now

Yeah, you do the tighten up
Yeah, now
I said, if you can do it now
It sure would be tough
Now look here, come on now
Now make it mellow

Let's tighten it up now
Do the tighten up
Everybody can do it now
So get to it

We're gonna tighten up
Let's do the tighten up
You can do it now
So baby, get to it

Look to your left now
Look to your right
Everybody can do it
But don't you get too tight

Come on and tighten up
Let's tighten it up now
Let's tighten it up now
Tighten it up

Do the tighten up
Come and tighten it up
Tighten it up now

Come on now, Billy
Tighten it up
Oh, yeah
Sock it to me now
Tighten it up

Come on and tighten up that bass
Oh, yeah
Now look here
I want that guitar
To fall in on there
Tighten it up now
Oh, yeah
Now tighten it up, organ
Yeah
Now everybody tighten it up now

Now look here
We gonna make it mellow for you now
We gonna make it mellow now

Tighten it up
You can get it
Move to your left
Move to your right
Tighten it up now
Everything will be outta sight
Come on and tighten it up
Tighten it up now
You can do it...