Padanaram

 It isn’t just about boat speed. There are many ways to lose a race. I put it that way because usually the crew making the fewest mistakes wins. In our Padanaram race with Kathleen we had speed. Silent Maid led everywhere except where it counted, on the last leg to the finish. I confused two marks and insisted we round the wrong way then realized my error so we had to round again in the right direction. Racing can provide a good way to acquire a little humility and so it was in this case. All that can be done is admit the mistake in hopes that this will prevent it happening again.  Kathleen’s crew sailed a good race and were in a position to capitalize on her opponent’s mistake.  We are now tied one all and meet next in Pleasant Bay.

     Meantime we are sailing for Maine. Christian, John Pete and I are the crew. We have a tight schedule and must get as much as we can out of each day.  At the time of this writing we are a day and a half into this cruise and have cleared Cape Anne bound for Portsmouth, New Hampshire tonight. We spent last night in Hull Bay outside of Boston.   Since clearing the Cape Cod Canal the breeze has been favorable, we used the motor in the mornings until the wind filled in. The crew has settled into a sailing routine, using some time to clean and come up with improvements to the boat.




Photos by Peter Corbin