A bunch of things happened today on the racing front.
A few days ago I had been put on notice that I might be teaching part of a preamble class. The company I teach through always runs a "Swiftsure" course and then enters one or more boats in Swiftsure for the students to experience the race. For those people who are not familliar with it. Swiftsure is an intrernational race with its roots going back to the 1850s. It's one of the largest races around and welcomes all sorts of boats from pleasure cruisers all the way to true racing yachts.
There was the possibility that the instructor had been double booked and I might be called on to teach the first two days. I put together a lesson plan and was ready. However, today I was notified that everything had been resolved and I wasn't needed. Well... darn. However, I also had received a questionnaire from the Clipper Round The World folks that I needed to fill out, which I did and had sent back. Lo and behold, I apparently didn't say anything too crazy as they asked what day I'd like to schedule for an interview. Looks like another hurdle is passed and I'm on to the interview stage, which will happen Tuesday at 8am my time.
I am, at the same time, a little worried about it and exhilarated. For all I know, anyone that fills out the various paperwork advances to an interview and there's nothing special about it, but it certainly feels like I'm making progress.
Assuming I pass the interview, the next step will be them sending me a crew contract. After I sign that, unless I kruft up at the training sessions, it's a "done deal" (barring injury or similar which would keep me out of it). Step by step, the dream is getting closer, the hope is becoming real.
Today is also the monthly meeting of the sailing cooperative of which I'm a member. The person who had been the race director for the cooperative has had to step down and, silly me, I stepped forward. So now I'm the Race Director for the Lower Mainland Yacht Cooperative. Fortunately, this is a "rebuilding" year, so there's not much to do, which gives me time to get my feet under me.
I have an idea for a club race. a 24-hour "enduro" in which a course is layed out and the winner is the boat which does the most number of laps in 24 hours. Boats may exit the race course at specified locations if they want to head to shore and sleep or switch out crew or something, and then rejoin the race at another specified location. This should give people a chance to experience night sailing if they want, and to experince some of a long-form race, like Swiftsure or the VanIsle 360.
We'll see what comes of this.
Oh, yeah, and we had new carpets instralled at the house today. They have that plushy, silky feel to bare feet. Ooooooooo!
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