Boatracing - Stay On An Even Keel

Hats off to the four boats who went to race Sunday in the race kept by the Light and Peace. It was not for any monetary gain, but for points. The Superstar won.

The other three participating boats were the N.W.O, Miss Anguilla and the Light and Peace. The N.W.O. The N.W.O knew from Sunday that she was not sailing as was hoped. There are a lot of concerns now about the job and decision to make her so wide. The big talk now is that she got power but can’t use it because she is not sailing. Looking at her you know for sure she is big, but as my grandmother once told me, “Boy, bigness ain’t badness.” Perhaps when they get the new jib all who are laughing now will be silenced and my Granny will be proven wrong. Some boats are thinking about carrying 45 feet of jib. Some say the taller the jib the more leading edge you have for going upwind. Other say if the jib too tall it will just cause the boat to lag. Who knows what is right.
Captain Lawrence Romney (Tates) is getting a new jib but not over 40 feet. His first mate Earl won’t have it. They did not go to the Marigot Fete and probably won’t make the Grande Case Fete either, because they are not racing until the boat is properly fitted with new mast, jib and sails. Everything is on order but it is taking some time to get here on the island.
Captain Eddie, who was also talking about his mast being faulty, did so well in the Marigot Fete on Monday that some are wondering if he really needed a new mast. She rounded the down-wind buoy in first place but placed second when the race ended. And if the Super Captain did not stall maybe Eddie would have gotten third. Obviously Captain Eddie has got to look for more and the new mast scheduled to come this week may be the answer.
If you are superstitious you would say that the Marigot Fetes are not for the Satellite. This the third time she has experienced misfortune going to race in Marigot. This time she burst her jib stay and the mast broke. She has another mast but it is a heavy mast like the one the Stinger has and I am not sure they will want to race with it. By this weekend the Satellite will definitely be getting the saw. How big are they going? Perhaps fifteen feet is too big but definitely just as big as the N.W.O. is a good guess. Stanley, Boo and The Boys better be cautious about equating bigness with badness.
Since the race held in Crocus Bay, the Super Star definitely has been making waves. Super Captain, Glen Paul, and his crew definitely have been taking these races seriously. He is so serious that while going to St. Martin on Monday he pulled into Shoal Bay West after leaving Sandy Ground to change his sails. It is obvious that the Super Star is definitely going to be a big contender for the championship in August. Perhaps they and the UFO share another Champion of Champions spot this August. You want to know if two boats can touch stakes simultaneously? It happened last year according to the Boat Racing Committee. Seems like anything is possible in this sport.
Another boat that can’t be counted out is De Tree. However it is becoming more and more obvious that she does not have the power to go with the boats anymore. If the wind is blowing from an easterly direction she can maintain a strong demand on first prize. But if the wind is blowing from due north or due south and the race is a one-drag, she does not have the power to cope as much as the Miss Anguilla and other widely built boats. Perhaps cutting is now a serious consideration. De Tree has a lot of shipwrights as crew. Craft, thought and skill certainly will not be lacking if she gets a makeover.
Certainly Ian Carty and Errol Romney have winning in mind and if the August Races prove De Tree needs to cut she will be as big and bad as their imaginations allow. Everyone knows Ian is hardworking. Everyone also knows that Errol is a dedicated Captain who takes sailing seriously and loves the winner’s circle.
Certainly everyone is trying to stay on an even keel for this year’s Summer Festival Boat Racing.
Contributed