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the uninitiated—and sometimes even
to the initiated—sailboat racing as a
spectator sport can be a deadly dull
business. I've heard it likened to watching
grass grow, or waiting for eggs to boil, and
those are just the repeatable comments.
A stately procession of sails may be soothing to the eye, but it does not make for edge-of-
the-seat viewing. Nope, the nail-biting is all done on board those boats. Sailboat racing can
be chess-like in its complexity and bruising in its competitiveness, but tell that to a non-
sailor and all you get is a raised eyebrow and a slow nod—sure, I believe you.
Imagine yourself, a non-sailor, dropped onto a tuned-up race boat packed with
hard core racers. You will find yourself in a world beyond your ken. Not only will the
people around you speak a strange and incomprehensible language—"ease the vang
and crack the sheet, let's open up that leech a bit"—but you will have no idea of where
you are in relation to the other boats, which all seem to be going the other way. Each
time the boat changes direction, you have to scramble across it—while being scolded by
SAIL TALES
Clockwise from above, sailing downwind near
Marblehead light; a glimpse of Boston's skyline; carefree
sailors enjoy the evening's laid back race
To
REV_148_NB_KJ_NS July 14 FESailing.indd 148 5/9/14 11:51 AM
