Smart decision.
-----Original Message-----
From: "Alan Bergen via CnC-List" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
Sent: 2014-05-10 7:43 PM
To: "C&C Photoalbum email list" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com>
Subject: Re: Stus-List Cool change and Oregon Offshore Race
I received this email from Frank, this morning:
As you know, we decided not to race in the Oregon offshore.
This decision was made at 0600 Thursday morning. All the crew members were
in agreement not to participate in the race.
We had been monitoring the weather for the past 30 days and watching the
trends for the offshore race course.
We knew that the race was going to be fast but that implied that the course
would be challenging. We were looking at weather predications from NOAA
that included up to 40 knot gusts, 20 to 35 knot sustained winds, five foot
swell at 9 seconds and nine foot wind waves from Grays Harbor to the Strait.
The boat was not the problem, it was the crew that I was concerned about.
We could expect one critical boat part failure, most of us getting sick, and
possibly one or more serious injuries. Only three crew were experienced in
heavy weather sailing offshore. Our average crew members age is close to 60
years old. Two members being over 70 years old and one less than 50 years
old. Three women and 5 men on the crew. A majority of the crew is new to
offshore racing and have never experienced the conditions that were
predicted for the time of the race. Although we all wanted to race, it was
obvious to all of us that if we experienced the conditions that were
predicted we would most likely regret the decision to go.
Making the decision not to race was very hard for me but deciding to go and
being responsible for a crew members injury would be even more difficult to
endure.
For our boat, for our crew, the decision not to race in the predicted race
course conditions was a good one.
The crew delivered the boat back to RCYC. Nice cruise up the Columbia
River. Stopped at Rainer over night. Averaged 6.7 kts through the water
and 4.1 kts over land.
We are already preparing for next year.
Alan Bergen
35 Mk III Thirsty
Rose City YC
Portland, OR
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