Gray Monday ~ No Racing Today

Up at 0530, both race boats already off the dock in the dark before 0700.  RC ready, boats ready, spectators ready, teams ready, helicopters, press, everything and everybody ready to go today.  We were very fortunate and scored an excellent ride out to the windward mark on the very pretty and hospitable 130' motor yacht Ineke IV.  Excellent food and beverages all day long.  A very large number of boats parked out a few miles off the Spanish Coast 15 or so miles South of Valencia.  A little disappointed we weren't on our way to the Start area, but we were out there on the water, and it wasn't even raining!
 
The breeze wandered thru and started out around 4 to 5 knots from a pretty southerly direction.  The 1006 start time came and went.  Very little info from the Race Committee to the crowd lurking 20 miles to windward.  Our TV on the boat came and went.  Finally EuroSport TV gave up and switched to ski jumping.  Brief excitement as a tracking program in the cabin started showing the two boats racing upwind...  excitement, but false alarm, it was only a simulation!!!!  Drat, but at least we had not dozed thru the start without noticing.  More "no info" from the RC.  Much speculation, interesting theories and discussion.  The wind at our end of the course got up toward 8 to 10 and shifted West a bit.

Finally around 1400 the word spread thru the boat, racing cancelled for the day.  What a disappointment for everyone.  We all charge back to BMWO HQ in the Darsena for more drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  The rain starts.  We talk to some of the folks who were near the start, apparently they never had any of the wind that we had 20 miles to the Southwest.

So, what now?  Well, the "rules" say that racing proceeds on alternate days.  So no racing tomorrow, even if it is 15 knots from the South and sunny-beautiful.  Next shot on Wednesday for race 1, the replay as far as we know.  Then 2 on Friday, and 3 (if needed we must say) on Sunday.  Hmmm, when was that flight home again?????

Dan studies the news while we wait

Ran into Kimball today and Jeff Brown from San Diego.  Cory Friedman with us on Ineke, also Peter Harken, several other interesting folks.
 

Nice Spectator Boat!