Surf and Turf

An hour before the start of the 2010 Tall Oaks-Windjammers

Challenge Cup.  The boats started to assemble, and at the start

there were 21 of us ranging from a Beneteau 43 to a C&C 25.

The first leg was a 4.4 mile close reach, drag race south to a mark

just off Tice's Shoal.  Then west to the "BB" marker at the end

of the Forked River channel, then a downwind finish back east

to the mark off Tice's.  It honked the entire time, and we were

on our ear for most of it. It could not have been more fun.

Beside sharing human whisker-pole responsibilities

with Ellen and Cathie, Dwayne was grinder

extraordinaire, and without him we would not have

been able to compete.  He had only sailed once

before, and Saturday he shed his novice label and

became a full-fledged must-have crew.  Minutes

after this photo, we finally allowed him his first cold

beer.  And then his second.

Approaching the finish, the Pearson 33 behind us

started to blanket us and was threatening to pass. 

At the same time, we were quickly gaining on 3

boats ahead of us. Action right down to the wire!

Olivia decided to come above deck for the last

several minutes to give me updated info on the boat

astern.  She spent most of the race getting thrown

around the cabin, eating chocolate covered donuts

and watching DVDs on her portable player.

Out of 18 boats that finished, we crossed the line a

respectable 10th, considering a less than perfect

start.  We corrected to 8th, and all aboard were

thrilled and proud with the result, especially considering

it was the first time we all sailed together.  The committee

boat, "Schnitz", has been a Metedeconk River Yacht Club

fixture for decades, and I was elated to be around her

again after so many years. 

The coveted cup.  We had a great gathering afterward

with Windjammers and also a few sailors from

Metedeconk who raced as well.  It was the first time

in six years that Tall Oaks had won the cup and we

were proud as hell to have helped bring it back.

Sunday morning, 9:45 a.m.  Tailgating at the edge of the swamps

of Jersey.  Artie brought his old couch from home.  He's recently

remodeled and figured he'd give it a farewell party.  After the game

it was left there along with an end table for anyone interested.

Artie, middle, arrives at around 8:00 a.m., getting the tent pitched

 and grills fired up.  The rest of the regulars file in during the next

two hours, setting up chairs, coolers, and unpacking wave upon

wave of grillable items. My buddy Jerry is at far right. 

Mark, with plate in hand, grilled the most incredible skirt steaks,

marinated, cooked medium, and sliced thinly.  What an array of

tailgate food.  I brought a couple of sandwiches leftover from the

race on Saturday, but when we got there, my mouth started

watering.  I freeloaded all morning.  Dry-rubbed, slow-cooked

ribs first, then Kielbasa and sauerkraut, two different kinds of

sausages, huge marinated prawns, jerk-spiced shrimp, then

the skirt steak.  Not a goddamn vegetable in sight.  Unless you

consider beer a vegetable.

And oh yeah, then we went in to watch the game.  We should

have stayed on the couch.  In the parking lot.