Ray’s Discoveries

When I was a little kid, I used to dream of sailing around the world. My dad used to get a sailing magazine which had a lot of coverage of single handed sailing races. There was one in particular that really captured my imagination, because every skipper would have to sail completely alone. They would be at sea for weeks, or even months at a time, with nothing around them but endless seas and skies. To some people, it would sound like a nightmare, but to me it seemed like an absolute paradise.

I used to watch Americas cup sailing races with my dad back then. They would only be once every few years, but they would give us enough to keep talking about for months afterwards. Unlike some sailing races where a whole fleet of boats compete for the mark, Americas cup racing consists of a series of match races. Two gigantic sloops jockey behind the finish line for the chance to get the lead before the race starts. Once the whistle is blown, it is often over as it begins. The boat with the best position can sometimes stay ahead the whole race.

This is not always the case, however. Americas cup sailing is not a one design class, so the two boats often have different strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes one boat is better in light wind, while the other sails better in high winds. Other times, one Americas cup sailing boat tacks upwind very well, while the other has a big advantage downwind. It all depends on the designs, the crews, and most of all, the skippers.

I used to daydream about being on an Americas cup boat from time to time, but I knew that the chances were slim. Americas cup racers were crewed by the very best ocean racers and, living in the Midwest, I simply did not have the connections or the experience. That is why I was so overjoyed one vacation when my dad hit me with a surprise.

He had booked us a trip on one of the Americas cup sailing boats. Apparently, many of the old, retired boats live a sort of second life giving tours to vacationers. I was pretty psyched to get on board, and it turns out that I was not disappointed. It was one of the most thrilling afternoons of my life up to this point, and that is no lie!