Here in Maine, Fall is in full swing. The
blazing colors of the forests and fresh, chilly air invite you outdoors to make
the most of any free time you can find. Boat owners and yards
are rushing to get the boats out and prepped for winter storage.
This seasonal frenzy still amazes
me...having originally come from California where there is hardly such a
thing called "winter".
A major benefit the "off
season" is having time to refit and prep for the next
year. Some boats head straight into heated shops for repainting, new
electronics/systems, or perhaps a rearrangement of the rigging. Perhaps
some will consider changing to synthetic
rigging to reduce weight aloft, or upgrading their batteries to save major weight
there. Speaking of synthetic standing rigging, have you heard of Dynex
Dux?
Of course, many boats simply are packed into winter
storage...rows of tightly bunched yachts with protective covers to withstand the
coming snow. In the coming months, under the creaking weight of
frozen H2O those boats can dream that perhaps next winter
they'll find themselves in a warm comfortable shop...
As the boats go into hibernation here,
there's a flurry of transatlantic ocean races underway. The "Mini Transat"
just finished in Salvador Bahia, Brazil. Perhaps the craziest of
all sailing races, the Mini Transat is an 85-strong fleet of 21ft
glorified dinghies crawling across the ocean. There are two divisions; the
"Protos" which are custom, mostly unrestricted machines, and the "Series" which
are production boats. More about this nutso event HERE.
Beating their brains out at this very moment
are the Class 40 sloops in the "La Solidaire du
Chocolat". This hapless fleet is racing 5000 miles from
France through the Caribbean to Mexico and have been
getting pummelled by the weather since the start on October 18th.
Ouch!
Of course the BIG fall event coming up is the
Transat
Jacque Vabre for IMOCA 60's, starting Nov 8th. It was ten years ago
that I visited France for the first time to see the start of this event.
That led to a major change of direction in my life...;-)
I wrote about it then...the report is no longer
online but I can send it to you on request. Hopefully we'll get those old
stories (pre-2003) back up on the site someday.
A lot to think about, while watching the leaves
turn colors. |
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