#racing sailboats

[illustratus]

An ocean racer running under spinnaker in the moonlight by Charles Pears

[saltlifehippie]

Sailing…

[curiouspupsicle]

I’m working on my first long Good Omens inspired fan fic (Human AU).  Crowley and Aziraphale are both long distance sailors getting ready to compete in a singlehanded, round the world race.  In an effort to keep going and be accountable, I’ve posted a proposed snippet--unedited, first draft. Let me know in the comments if it makes you want to see more. Tagging a few writers whose works have inspired me to do something so stupid brave. (@holycatsandrabbits, @pookasluagh, @klikandtuna, @missunderstoodlyrics, @bellisima-writes, @waitingtobebroken, @itsscottiesstark, @dragonfire42, @lavendermoonlitskies, @di-42) Still handling smoothly, the car gave no hint of strain as the speedometer hit 160 kph—why can’t Americans join the rest of the world? I mean it’s not like there’s any logic to it. They fuck off because they can’t stand British rule just to hang onto this archaic system of measurement, I mean…  Crowley took a deep breath and banished his brain imps before he couldn’t find his way back. Because he had been thinking something. Now what was it?  Oh. Yeah. He was boooooooooored. Transcendentally bored. If he could set his alarm and not wake up until Beaufort…  Well, technically, he could have flown.   But it wasn’t just about speed, was it? It was about reading the conditions, outwitting nature, and controlling—well, something.   Crowley was too smart to think he was in control of anything. Not really. But even smart people paddle that river in Egypt.   Nope. Driving, even at these speeds, offered none of the thrills of helming a sailboat on the open ocean with spray pouring over the bow. Shouting to your crew over the roar of the sea. Or outwitting your competition when you sensed a shift in the wind before anyone else.  He’d rather be rail meat for some twatwaffle captain in a bumfuck village regatta in the South Downs than be reduced to only driving a car the rest of his life. Not that it would ever happen. He was the best in the world—or at least, that’s what he intended to prove. But if you’re going to go, might as well do it with style. He patted the steering wheel of the sports car affectionately before slowing slightly to take his exit—Beaufort.  He loved a thrill. He wasn’t crazy.  ****************** Yanking the line from the clutch, the man rushed to the bow, avoiding the flogging mainsail. He dropped the anchor and waited for it to stop the boat's motion as it grabbed the muddy bottom.  In what seemed like only moments later, the anchor had set and the fair-haired figure congratulated himself on a job well done. He could have used the diesel engine to anchor. But there’s a satisfaction that comes with doing things the way sailors have done them for centuries. And one must not let one’s skills decline.  Why call yourself a sailor if you rely on an engine for every tricky maneuver? And, after all, Aziraphale had standards. It just wouldn’t do for him to do what most sailors would do.  He was the best in the world—or at least, that’s what he intended to prove. Again.

[the-golden-vanity]

Guess who sailed their boat out to the limits of their marina's sailing territory, had the wind die on them, and had to be towed back in today?

...this guy! *finger guns*

[the-cricket-chirps]

Vanitie, International Yacht Races, Newport, Rhode Island

Margaret Bourke-White

1934

[feralchaton]

Drew Doggett | Glisten

from a limited series Sail: Majesty at Sea

[timmurleyart]

Beautiful tall ships. ⛵️⚓️

[krjpalmer]

ROM December 1977

A DEC LSI-11 being installed on an America's Cup-defending yacht (where it both had to be sealed against salt water and set up so that it could still radiate its waste heat out from its sealed compartment) provided the cover story for this issue. Ted Nelson's regular column looked ahead to a "Personal Computing 1982" convention in Atlantic City; his light humour on the topic didn't quite anticipate the well-known microcomputer companies of 1977 not building themselves into corporate colossi (nor absorbing pieces of IBM). The regular two-page colour centrefold wasn't of silicon chips this month, but of R2-D2, "considered by many Star Wars' real hero."

[teaksteel]

Vendee Globe 2024. Sailing in a rough Southern Ocean Sea.

[starstruckkittenglitter]

Image by vecstock on Freepik

[saltlifehippie]

[sonicphobia0601]

Safety Lesson!

So... Two Thursdays ago I nearly ended up joining Barnaby's party if I wasn't experienced in sailing.

Let me explain.

So my skipper and I were supposed to have a race. It was really windy. We were sailing the fastest we ever went sailing in our lives in the jetty where the sailboat races took place. It lasted a solid minute before disaster struck.

Disclaimer: the Etchells are fine. The fleet my skipper and I sail in (JYs)? Uh... Race got cancelled. Why?

So, my skipper and I started going too fast and I was holding on to the jib sheet tight. And we capsized.

You read this right. Sonicphobia. Angry Barnaby fan and crew. Fuckin. Capsized. Add current and there would have been a wide multitude of problems had I decided not to wear spray gear or a life jacket. And I did not sing "A Million Gruesome Ways to Die" as I sailed to keep track of the starting marks. It was that intense.

It wasn't easy getting the sailboat up the first time. Then two seconds later... We capsized AGAIN.

At that point my skipper told me to get to the crash boat.

I obey, and I remained CALM (this is important during a capsize because if you don't stay calm in a capsize, if circumstances are right, you might end up with Barnaby minus the token fee).

I start swimming... Only for the current to push me away from the crash boat. At that point I was a little bit too grateful to be wearing a life jacket. If I hadn't, I would have joined Barnaby's party by drowning. And if I wasn't wearing spray gear, I would have joined via hypothermia.

Moral of the story?

Always wear a life jacket when you're doing any water sport. And if it looks really windy, wear spray gear.

Don't worry. I'm fine. I remained calm and I didn't panic (not even after getting to land) and I had my gear. I'm perfectly fine!

So there you have it. A capsize story from yours truly.

[jbjart]