Author: h.feddersen@precitaste.com

Racing is a team sport. The team needs to be there. For if you miss a race – you miss a beautiful sunset line this (and the team comes in second).

Thank you Brad for the amazing pictures!

On July 25, Unplugged sailed to a graceful win during our Friday night race—a victory not marked by high winds or daring maneuvers, but by steady hands and steady hearts.

The wind may have been shy, but the sunset was anything but. Boats glided gently across the water, silhouetted against a golden sky, each crew savoring the serenity of the sound. After the race, sailors from every boat gathered ashore for a laid-back BBQ (thank you SYC!) that turned into a joyful celebration of camaraderie, laughter, and the kind of friendship that only sailing seems to inspire.

It wasn’t the competition that made the night unforgettable—it was the shared stories, the smoky grills, and the sound of laughter echoing over the docks. This, more than trophies or finish lines, is the true essence of sailing.

Here’s to Unplugged, and to every sailor who makes our Friday nights magic.

There is little better than bringing on the young and eager super sailors brought into the club to train our younglings the art of the Opti race on board. Not only are our club guests the most dedicated and experienced sailors – it also feels great to be a part of their amazing US adventure. The team will be here until the end of August – so take the chance to get to know them and sail with them.

At the time of writing this recap the scores weren’t up on Yachtscoring. But if they were – they would be here: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu/50144

Another special treat of the night was the fireside chat with the dad’s as part of the annual camp night. What a night!

As the returning champion we had big plans for this year’s Halloween Yacht Club Mayors Cup.

https://www.yachtscoring.com/event_results_detail/50089/1

But sometimes you don’t get what you want you want. And sometimes the halyard comes loose of the kite and the next thing is you draw straws to decide whom to send up into the mast to get it back. Dillon – you are a rockstar!

And we learned that the kite can be raised by the jib halyard (4 ft below the top of the mast).

Our first Tuesday night race of the season started in an unknown fashion: perfectly planned and executed. The mast slid into the hull like Wiener into a bun. The pointy rudder pinions fell into place immediately and the mighty engine spurred to life with the sound of the god of thunder gargling nails.

The team was ready to slay and … the race was called off for a lack of wind.

But as we have mastered many seasons without protective gear on board we would not let the absence of wind stop us. So our fearless captain challenged the competition to a race across the sound. As the wind picked up a head to head spinnaker race had the mighty unplugged barreling across the sound. Shoutout to Geronimo’s Cadillac, Yankee boy and the newest addition to the fold: Scorpios for making this first race day special.

What a start to this season – what a yacht and what a crew!

By winning the Cows race!

With the water temperatures decreasing it is the time of year again where the boats are brought to shore to assess what damages the season was caused.

Let’s face it – the unplugged is a bad ass boat. Great fun and like a stick shift in the US only commendable by a select few. The allure of the boat stems from constantly finding out what it can do (Speeeeeeeedddd!) and what it can’t (point). Every sailor that sailed it cherishes the almost instantaneous switch from – “wow this feels great” to “Oh Sh*t….”

The plight of having found the equivalent of a barn build NASCAR racer is the question of – what’s next?

There is a number of great boats out there that would immediately provoke a lot of comments about going soft.

So let’s collect ideas in the comments!

The heavens smiled down at the mighty unplugged as a crew of 5 embarked on the last Friday night journey of the season. What started out with almost no breeze turned into a great sailing trip – though we were thankful that Race committee ended the race at the rounding mark (32A) as the unplugged had built up a solid lead by then.

When there is almost no wind the lightest boat in the fleet is often favored.

My personal highlight was taking the helm and realizing that driving is not as easy as our Captain makes it look. I did by best not to crash into a barge or a breakwall (all these obstacles appearing out of nowhere).

To end the season there was a BBQ worthy of winners on the dock.