The winner is an elephant!
2008 is not quite over yet, but despite its maverick qualities and the holiday shopping season ahead, one can draw the conclusion that it was not a “Better Than..” year!
We will not soon forget the long list of injuries, defeats, ripped sails, lost luggage and financial assets, both as a team and personally, but there are plenty of glorious memories to remember and it is the goal of this report to bring them to light.
Around Christmas 2007, Andrzej and Gosia decided to expand their fleet. We spent endless hours discussing the choices presented by various friends who are in the business of building and selling dreams to sailing enthusiasts like us. Hundreds of corks were popped in the process (most impressively marked).
I even flew to Key West to personally taste a few of these fine vessels.
By the end of February the decision was made… “the winner is an elephant!”
Every child knows them, gray and mighty!
The famous sailor and corinthian spirit advocate, Gary Jobson, dropped his almost new Swan 42, “Mustang,” under the warranty agreement, for structural problems. After Nautor’s refurbishment, the boat was up for grabs at a competitive price.
Andrzej used his magical negotiation powers to squeeze as much out of Nautor as possible- the best looking boat in the thirty something strong fleet. Coincidentally, they never built hull number 18 and Mustang was 19 so we could retain our hallmarked 18 look painlessly without stretching the rules.
Gosia laid out her vision and we went to work.
Peter McCloskey called the new BetterThan.. “my boat” and spent countless hours and all his creativity to make her special.
In February we joined the Sonar’s in Miami for their Midwinter Championship regatta. Once again Gosia put together an excellent crew of Elizabeth Kratzig, Chris Quaglio and myself to compete against a small, but star-studded fleet of mostly Paralympics teams gearing up for the Beijing games.
It was tough. We did not have much practice due to the lack of wind before the regatta, our shortage of experience with the rig tune, and the borrowed practice chute from Lee Morrison which turned out to be a retired shower curtain from the Shore loft, but the winning team from Texas let us use their spare voluntarily after seeing our first day’s struggle. We quickly made friends with the magnificent Rick Doerr and other legends who’s tips helped us bring the boat up to speed.
The camaraderie and spirit of this incredible group of people was enough to make the experience not only valuable, but also the most pleasant. I never had more fun losing.
To make it clear, I have to tell you that Gosia showed no desire to monitor the scoreboard!
In March, “Twins” won the J24 Midwinters in Tampa and shortly after I broke my right heel falling off a ladder.
We had very little time to get the new boat into racing shape for the AYC Spring Series and my being crippled did not make it easier.
Thank you Peter for finding all that time between fixing Swans on three continents and selling Belicossa!
Steve Devoe invited us to do the Bermuda Race on Devocean with his family, while Mike Reardon was putting together a maxi program on his newly acquired Shockwave and the calendar was rapidly filling up.
Gosia escaped to Ft. Meyers for a week of North Sails University sailing on Colgates, where she bruised her ribs, but a little pain wouldn’t stop her from helping me in preparations and even a delivery to Stamford.
The Spring Series started with a 25 plus northeaster and a cold Gosia driving through big waves to the first mark in a close lead. After the hoist, the spin halyard clutch failed and Andrzej crushed his hand trying to stop it. Gosia’s personal surgeon, who has stitched both Andrzej and myself, used to sail, but after seeing last spring’s yachting injuries switched to the way safer sport of golf.
Andrzej’s broken fingers were not the only casualties of that gear buster. There were broken masts, booms and limbs, ripped sails, miscellaneous bruises and the 42’s were broaching like dinghies
I just couldn’t watch all that, so I drove to JFK and took the first flight to France.
The following days showed some promise for the new boat and skipper but there were some problems pulling the chute out of the water. They finished some races smack in the middle of the fleet missing two of their most valuable crew members!
Peter dried out and delivered the boat back to Essex.