Ok, so it was really a little more laid back then I was expecting - and that is quite an understatement. Since this was my first Mermaid Regatta I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I found myself with butterflies in stomach the morning of. Granted, I knew that we were signed up for the slacker class (the Margarita Class) but still it was called a “race.” My fears eased up quite a bit as the committee boat’s dingy pulled up alongside and threw a gallon of margarita’s onboard.
Aboard La Le Lu we had eight mermaids (Susan, Pam 1, Pam 2, Jody, Gale, Claudia, Caroline and Kathy) and our token man slave, Rick. Prior to leaving the dock, we hoisted the storm sail – a big red bra – and headed out to the course. There were two marks set up just outside the marina channel that had to be rounded, prior to heading south to Marker 21 and back.
Pam V took the helm and bossed everyone around (but she looked really cute doing it). The rest of us escaped by heading up to the cabin top / forward deck. The wind was on the beam at about 7 knots and we were moving along at a respectable 5.5 knots under the direction of captain Bligh. We passed several boats, avoided a boat collision, and just had a great sail and enjoying each other’s company.
