09/05/12 by Willie Blevins
Sailboat racing begins at birth
The first words I said to both my sons
Were “stand by to come about”
The race starts now
Each race is different, each start unique
Variables abound, the wind in any instant
like a snowflake, or a fingerprint, never the same
the race starts now
Water, shaped by current and wave, moves around the appendages
with the coefficient of friction less than that of the stream bed.
(Point three or point zero three, can’t keep that straight)
The class flag is a warning, hard to miss if you are paying any attention at all
The race starts now
Of course you don’t have to play, everyone sails their own boat
By now you should have a strategy, and a plan
Not necessarily the same thing. Do you know
Which side of the course is favored? Do you know
Which end of the line is going to be your end?
Are the wind shifts persistent or oscillating?
Long past time to know the answers to these questions
The class flag is up, one minute later you’re racing
You know this because the preparatory flag is flying
and you were close enough to hear the horn.
This particular race started with the hoist of the prep flag
Because that is the rule
Your race starts now and now and now
You have three minutes to position yourself
such that when the prep flag drops the single
remaining minute is the perfect amount of time
to baffle the competition,
to find the only undisturbed wind,
to be at your chosen place on the start line,
to be pointing high and sailing fast,
Approaching the line, opportunities abound
They may not be your opportunities
It doesn’t matter, the race starts now
The class flag drops, you hear “all clear”
The race starts now
Of course, you don’t have to play
wb
inspired by my friend Larry M.
I like the repetition of
The race starts now!