- IMG_2246
Our happy family: Julie, Mike, Patrick, Sam, Doug. - IMG_2236
Noble captain at the helm. - IMG 5583
Some crews had even better get ups than our pink-orange crew shirts. - IMG 5614
Julie smokes too... - IMG 5599
Julie with trophy. - IMG 5570
Julie negotiates a wave. - IMG 5584
Texas barbecue awaited us for the dinner party on Saturday! What bliss. Bryan consumes roughly 1.5 lbs brisket and several rum drinks. - IMG 5551
- IMG_2256
Doug at the helm. - IMG 5548
A bird that miraculously managed to get miles and miles off shore stops for a rest on our boat. He seemed tame but was probably just too exhausted to hop away. - IMG_2238
As the wind dies late in the morning on the second day, we bust out the "whisker pole," a pole to hold out the jib (sail at the front of the boat) perpendicular to the boat and allow us to sail with the light wind at our backs. - MVI 5505
- IMG 5582
To show their appreciation for being taken out on the boat, Julie and Bryan by a liter of Woodford Reserve for Sam. Chambord is both an inferior liquor *and* a boat we bested in our class. Get it?!? - IMG_2239
Bryan doing some random sailoring. - IMG 5564
swim swim swim - IMG_2264
Cleaned up for the party the next day, the crew of the Longhawk celebrate with pink-orange shirts and rum drinks courtesy Bacardi. - IMG 5549
Look at the ease with which Bryan steers. - IMG 5588
Julie makes full use of the free West Marine hat and West Marine light-up plastic ice cube. - IMG 5557
After a good nights sleep and a shower, we spent the next day lazing around Port Aransas. Here, Bryan has convinced Julie and Doug that despite the dead fish on the Beach, a swim is in order given the nice waves and relative warmth of the water (compared at least to norcal standards). - IMG_2242
Doug sailoring. - IMG_2183
There were about 200 boats in the race... this is the line of boats in the channel behind us leaving Houston and heading to Galveston and the starting line. - IMG 5596
Patrick, exultant, with trophy. - IMG 5538
Julie at the helm. - IMG_2235
A noticeably happier if scruffier crew. - IMG_2176
Dawn on the first day (before the start of the race). - IMG_2199
The start! No wind at all. Notice doug holding out the jib hoping for some kind of action. - IMG_2178
From left to right: Sam (the skipper), Mike (the... uh... other skipper), Doug. - IMG_2171
Motoring out of Houston through a channel. - IMG_2180
Dolphins surf on the wakes of huge tankers, purely for pleasure. - IMG 5496
The first of many episodes of daytime sleep for Patrick.