*whimper*
So, one of the many things that I haven't told you about, land of LJ, is that I've been learning how to sail this summer. It's great! There's this women's racing league that focuses on teaching and encouraging new sailors, so even though I'm learning by being thrown into the absolute deep end, it's quite fun. There's a lot of yelling by our skipper(s), frequent confusion, and periodically piles of bodies on one side of the boat or the other that make it look like we're attempting to play tackle football when really we're all just lunging to grab the same lines.
Thus far my greatest triumph for the summer is that I haven't succumbed to seasickness, a near-miracle given my susceptibility.
Races are held approximately every two weeks, on Tuesday nights, which is a nice schedule, except that right now we're racing every week in an attempt to make up for some early summer bad weather. Last night was a make-up race night and it turned out to be one of the physically hardest things I have done in years!
Things started a little ominously, with lowering clouds and choppy waves on the lake, but the wind was brisk and we weren't rocked too much. The wind then became very brisk, making the race rather exciting. My task for the night was to help run the jenny and the spinnaker, along with another newbie, Erin. This is what we've been practicing, but we haven't ever practiced with as much wind as we had last night, and it was HARD to get the sails in. Lots of pulling, lots of cranking, lots of precarious standing on the low rail to get a grip on the winch handle... By the end of the race, my hands were cramping and my lower back was starting to spasm. And then the race committee announced that they'd be starting a second race five minutes later! A little numbly, we reset the boat and headed back to the starting line for another race. (A second race in one night is nearly unheard-of in the women's league. We were all surprised.) The second race was faster than the first, but we didn't race quite as well: we were tired, there is no doubt.
All in all, we actually did reasonably well. We probably placed second or third in both races. The predicted wind speed was 5-10mph, but the nearest weather station reports wind speeds of 16mph and gusts of 23mph and I'd believe it. We never lost control, but some of our tacks got preeeettty tippy. I never had a foot entirely in the water while cranking, but my feet did get wet.
All that excitement and adrenaline have left me a wreck today, though. My hands are surprisingly fine but my arms hurt, my legs are sore (like a good workout would do), I feel somewhat hungover, and I have a stunning collection of bruises and welts all down my knees and shins. The worst, though, is the muscle I have clearly strained or pulled in my lower back. I can't sit up straight, I walk like my left knee is locked, and I can barely bend over.
And what am I doing tonight?! Sailing AGAIN.
Thus far my greatest triumph for the summer is that I haven't succumbed to seasickness, a near-miracle given my susceptibility.
Races are held approximately every two weeks, on Tuesday nights, which is a nice schedule, except that right now we're racing every week in an attempt to make up for some early summer bad weather. Last night was a make-up race night and it turned out to be one of the physically hardest things I have done in years!
Things started a little ominously, with lowering clouds and choppy waves on the lake, but the wind was brisk and we weren't rocked too much. The wind then became very brisk, making the race rather exciting. My task for the night was to help run the jenny and the spinnaker, along with another newbie, Erin. This is what we've been practicing, but we haven't ever practiced with as much wind as we had last night, and it was HARD to get the sails in. Lots of pulling, lots of cranking, lots of precarious standing on the low rail to get a grip on the winch handle... By the end of the race, my hands were cramping and my lower back was starting to spasm. And then the race committee announced that they'd be starting a second race five minutes later! A little numbly, we reset the boat and headed back to the starting line for another race. (A second race in one night is nearly unheard-of in the women's league. We were all surprised.) The second race was faster than the first, but we didn't race quite as well: we were tired, there is no doubt.
All in all, we actually did reasonably well. We probably placed second or third in both races. The predicted wind speed was 5-10mph, but the nearest weather station reports wind speeds of 16mph and gusts of 23mph and I'd believe it. We never lost control, but some of our tacks got preeeettty tippy. I never had a foot entirely in the water while cranking, but my feet did get wet.
All that excitement and adrenaline have left me a wreck today, though. My hands are surprisingly fine but my arms hurt, my legs are sore (like a good workout would do), I feel somewhat hungover, and I have a stunning collection of bruises and welts all down my knees and shins. The worst, though, is the muscle I have clearly strained or pulled in my lower back. I can't sit up straight, I walk like my left knee is locked, and I can barely bend over.
And what am I doing tonight?! Sailing AGAIN.