Just a little too close...

This'll get them in... Once people read that all de boat mash up confused by dying goat (see below)... They'll see this is a great spectator sport. Not only that, but de sport in three neat little section.
1. De boat start (mash up and mayhem).
2. De boat go away (drink an chat).
3. De boat come back an finish (mash up and mayhem... More on this later).
Nothing much happen once the boat go away.
So once spectators have recovered from the start line drama, time for a drink an a chat at de bar before de boat come back. Nice package, dat!

De boat finish - this is the tricky bit for the spectators - all the boats usually separated by half an hour at the finish. So that doesn't sound that exciting for spectators. So, Mr Racing Skipper, sah, perhaps we should actually finish at "D", where we all group up again and, when all the boats ready, then do a mad dash for the finish line at "I" and Quarterdeck... Just a thought... Sort of two races in one...
Sorry - got distracted! Back to the story...

Yes, folks! Another season of Sundowner madness is up-and-running.
And a new season of racing management to boot.

So what can we expect?
Well, I s'pose more of the kind of thing that happened at the start line last night. Commotion? Bedlam? Yes - at least where I was! And where the hell was that dying goat sound coming from??? Chen? Why? What? Someone giving birth? Ohh... Dat doleful sound the starter gun? Fe real?

Mr Racing Skipper, sah, could we have something a little less like a goat in distress? You don't have a proper 'arn? Something that scare the shit out of us? So we uncoil an run... An jes where you going to find dat goat fe next week? Him curried and gawn...

'I s'pose, delaying the start time by 15 mins to make sure the 'bus driver'
got there on time was only to be expected. Shame though... I've always enjoyed the now traditional sight of Chen inna rush to get de shirt tail dem tuck in before the start of a race while the rest of us coil up an ready fe spring...

An jes why does everyone want to be at "I" when the goat start dying? Plenty of other places to be - but, yuknow, the start lime (sic!) a little too squeeze up for all the big bloat (sic) dem. An when Gallivant stop pon de line right in from of Steffi and Mystique... Don't know how every ting miss, but close to being one heap of mess right there next to dat mournful goat.

So, wh'appen in de race? Well, it a bit breezy. Some boat have reef, some have small headsail, an some boat like Gallivant have foresaken last year's super fast, self-shredding, fully adjustable main for something big an strong, but much slower. I don't follow that...
But once dat goat start groaning - we going!
And some boat like Chen and de bus driver, GAWN! An de lickle blueboat Blue J - GAWN!

Up to D - Chen, Blue J, Gallivant, Steffi, Mystique, Getweh.
Den, de reach down to B.
Den, de reach down to Can - which big boat skipper mek up dis big bus course???
And Getweh and Mistique fighting all the way, through I (to port) and up to D and home with Getweh closing fast on Steffi

So, results:
1. Blue J (by 6 seconds); 2. Getweh (by 30 secs); 3. Steffi Other boats in the race: Gallivant, Chen and Mystique... With Last Lick's inaugural race brought to early conclusion when the main refuse to go up de pole and de goat moanin'....

It was fun, of course. Good to be back in the Sundowner groove. Gives meaning to the rest of the year... But Aurora, Breakaway and Harry and even Rig - where were you? Plenty of room at "S" for all of you...

And on to the pahtee. Where everyone have tale of wind an race... A good start to the season. This is going to be fun. Ah feel it. Remember to fren up the place fe next week.
Music nice.
Food - well, thankfully - no goat!
 
As aye
Alan