It's Saturday morning; Race sailboats or sit on the couch reading the paper?
The Rebel is a two person boat. For a couple, a parent & child or a couple of friends, Rebel racing provides an incomparable bonding experience. When the skies are clear and wind is fresh, you're out on the water enjoying the glory of nature. When it's grey and threatening and the winds are shifting 90 degrees every few minutes, Nature gets your full attention.
There's a lot of physics involve here. In a five knot wind, a good sailor can get a Rebel up to about 5-1/2 knots. In a 15 knot wind, that same boat can reach pretty close to seven knots. Rather than bore you with the math, lets just say the forces involved are impressive.
The real excitement comes from racing. In one design racing, all the boats are closely matched. The race, is a contest of skill; boat preparation, racing tactics, and in small boat, inland racing, knowing where the wind is most likely to come from.
When you have seven or eight boats on the line and everyone is trying to cross the line at the windward end, all the same time, the jockeying for position is a test of wills and skill. When the gun goes off, the exhilaration of the start can be the highlight of your week.
Coming into the first mark, boats arriving from every direction, every captain wants to be the first to round. That's where you feel the precise handling of these boats. Within inches of one another at full power, steering the rudder, adjusting the sails....another adrenaline rush. I've heard stories of skippers yelling at this point, but I have no documented evidence.
This continues for 45 minutes of reaches and runs and beats. Excitement at every mark. The race challenges skill and endurance. When the gun goes off we celebrate the winner and question what we could have done better.
When we get to the dock and we roll our sails and get together with the other sailors.To enjoy a cold beverage and to tell stories of what happened out on the course. Many of them are true.
Then it's home for lunch and on with the rest of the day.
Race sailboats or read the paper....tough call.
Contact Us
If this sounds like fun, contact us at aysmembership@googlegroups.com.
If you're an experienced sailor, we can find you a boat.
If you're new and want to give it a try, we're always looking for crew.
We'll see you out on the water!