Sailors do have a heart....

This past weekend TIME MACHINE participated in the Sail for Hope regatta, a fund raising event that benefits the American Cancer Society. Four of the regular crew, Bill H., Bob C., Jim S. and the skipper welcomed our sponsors from Schroder IT on board and had a wonderful afternoon out on the water.

Conditions were perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. Low humidity. A gentle 6-8 knot breeze and calm seas.

The race was a blast. Being short handed, we had to improvise and make the best of things. The course was W-S-N-W and the breeze was from the SouthEast. We had a great start and quickly moved out in front of the fleet in clear air, beating towards the South Mark. RED CLOUD was able to remain fairly close and probably saved her time on this first leg. Coming around the mark the wind angle was a bit too tight to carry the chute, but after about 10 minutes it shifted a bit aft and we set BIG RED. The lead on the trailing boats got bigger! As we approached the North mark we needed to jibe, so Bob took the helm and the skipper went forward to do the bow, ALONE. It was an adventure, but Bill kept the chute full and we soon settled down for a very close reach to the finish.

As we approached the finish the breeze helped out by moving slightly aft and freshening. The Race Committee reported that we were "really steaming along". Getting the cannon was an awesome feeling and then waiting around to see if we saved out time on the other boats was fun.

Our sponsors had a great time and were able to be part of the awards ceremony, where they presented TIME MACHINE with the blue flag we had earn together.