RoCkInG The Boat!

		Sunday, December 29, 2002
		Today I was a pirate. The Center For Wooden Boats (CWB) held their annual "Frostbite Regatta" at South Lake Union this afternoon, although the weather didn't come anywhere near approaching the conditions for which the Regatta was named. My team, The Jolly Rogers came close to winning, but due to a sudden slack wind, some poor handicapping, and flagrant violations by the "winning" team we ended up being relegated to a 3rd place finish. Actually, it's all in good fun and who wins isn't really the point, although everyone tries their darndest anyway. I and my team partner (we had a total of 10 team members, with each pair racing relay-style for 5 circuits of the course) were on the first leg and acquited ourselves spectacularly, going from a third position start into a solid lead after one course. We were actually in the lead up until the fifth and final leg, when the wind just up and died, giving the advantage to the team (I believe it was the Greyhounds) with the smallest boat, since it was able to continue to manouever under the light wind conditions. Of course, the fact that they got a very generous (and blatantly illegal) tow from the Committee Boat certainly had some influence on the outcome as well. Part of the tradition is that people are supposed to dress up like their team namesakes, so being The Jolly Rogers, of course pirate attire was the order of the day for us, although only two of us actually made the effort. The South Lake Union Beauties got more into the spirit with a good costume turnout, but considering that half their team consisted of men in drag, I guess it should go without saying. Boaters are a lot like actors in that respect; they never let slip an opportunity to dress as silly as the occasion warrants. Now the long holiday weekend is over, and it's back to work tomorrow, although only for a day with another two days off to follow, then two days of work, then the weekend. Hard to believe yet another year has passed; seems like they go by much more quickly now than even a few years ago. I know it's just subjective, but I think the more years you live, the shorter each successive year seems to be. Posted byCOMTE on 10:19 PM

1 Scurvy Dogs Have Gathered 'Round The Scuttle Butt