It was the last day of the race across Lake Superior. The finish line was within sight to the east. Or maybe not, my eyesight is pretty bad. The expectation was to cross the finish line sometime during the next few hours, in first place no less, but there was some solid competition on the horizon.
Several miles north of us, one of the other ships had picked up some strong winds, and was closing the gap to the finish line rapidly. The lake itself had also decided to get in on the action. Waves were swelling and breaking across the deck, no small feat to do to the Niagara.
These obviously weren't enough factors to make the race exciting, so on addition to this the mates had decided to romantically caress a boundary line in an attempt to really squeeze out every drop of the lead we had. By romantically caressing, I mean that the captain said something along the lines of, "Try to avoid going to the right too much, we are about 20 feet from the boundary lines, we'll get disqualified if we cross it." Seeing as I was helping to steer the ship as he said this, I'm fairly sure my eyes about bugged out of my head. No pressure.
The race was close, and as the waves continued to break over the deck and soak us, the finish line drew closer and closer. The gap between the other ships and us closed rapidly, and it was a nail biter for a bit. But we crossed the finish line cheering, jumping, removing clothes in victorious fashion, and cheering some more. The Niagara had crossed first.
Of course, in the end there was something about time trials, and it ended up that we made third place after the application of what seems to be some 'Pretty Fancy Rules' by my standards. But really, it wasn't the racing that made my time on the Niagara. What turned my landlubber's interest in sailing into a full-blown passion would definitely be the people I met, and the ideals that make the tall ships work.
The people are definitely some of the best you can come across. Maybe a bit coarse by some standards, but it's hard not to love 'em, what with all the struggles and wonderful moments you share. If you can get over the initial stench, it only gets better from there. As for the ideals, I just do well in any environment that fosters learning and teaching, and values a good work ethic.
And the views. The views kick ass. Going back this summer should be a blast.
Several miles north of us, one of the other ships had picked up some strong winds, and was closing the gap to the finish line rapidly. The lake itself had also decided to get in on the action. Waves were swelling and breaking across the deck, no small feat to do to the Niagara.
These obviously weren't enough factors to make the race exciting, so on addition to this the mates had decided to romantically caress a boundary line in an attempt to really squeeze out every drop of the lead we had. By romantically caressing, I mean that the captain said something along the lines of, "Try to avoid going to the right too much, we are about 20 feet from the boundary lines, we'll get disqualified if we cross it." Seeing as I was helping to steer the ship as he said this, I'm fairly sure my eyes about bugged out of my head. No pressure.
The race was close, and as the waves continued to break over the deck and soak us, the finish line drew closer and closer. The gap between the other ships and us closed rapidly, and it was a nail biter for a bit. But we crossed the finish line cheering, jumping, removing clothes in victorious fashion, and cheering some more. The Niagara had crossed first.
Of course, in the end there was something about time trials, and it ended up that we made third place after the application of what seems to be some 'Pretty Fancy Rules' by my standards. But really, it wasn't the racing that made my time on the Niagara. What turned my landlubber's interest in sailing into a full-blown passion would definitely be the people I met, and the ideals that make the tall ships work.
The people are definitely some of the best you can come across. Maybe a bit coarse by some standards, but it's hard not to love 'em, what with all the struggles and wonderful moments you share. If you can get over the initial stench, it only gets better from there. As for the ideals, I just do well in any environment that fosters learning and teaching, and values a good work ethic.
And the views. The views kick ass. Going back this summer should be a blast.
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