Isla Mujeres Race, part 1

St Petersburg Florida to Isla Mujeres Mexico Race: April 24th 2009

Weeks of planning and preparation are about to bear fruit. The anticipation and excitement of my first race have led me to the morning of the 41st annual St. Pete, Florida to Isla Mujeres, Mexico race. I’m the newest crew member so therefore assigned as galley slave, rail meat, and general deck hand. I’ve never raced my own boat, so this will be a great learning experience for me, and we get to break someone else’s equipment.
Wednesday night at the St. Pete Yacht Club has everyone conducting last minute preparations for the next morning’s start. Crews are busy finalizing paperwork, loading onboard stores, adult beverages along with plenty of ice, and readying all sails and lines. We find ourselves aboard the Elice II, a 47′ Catalina, with one final pre-race task.

Our Captain keeps a close watch for the crew of ‘After You’ whom all presently are ashore enjoying the evening festivities while our youngest crew member silently slips over the side, and into the water. Making his way under the dock, he surreptitiously affixes several toilet plungers just below the waterline on the other vessels hull. This should create just enough drag to ensure our victory as our Captain had previously made a side wager with her sailing master.
The next morning brings a slight breeze as the fleet departs the docks and passes in review of the spectators lined up along the end of the St. Pete Pier. Our crew is standing by in anticipation of the start of the race for our group, everyone on the ready. The VHF radio crackles to life announcing our class as we dart across the starting line. Our sails are now fully extended and luffing in the waning breeze, the crew staring seaward as we begin to go… slower… slower… backwards?

The GPS shows definite movement backwards. Okay, this is my first race, and I’m just the galley boy, but even I can surmise that we are going the wrong darn way. I begin to have my first doubts as to the competence of the navigator when I hear the anchor chain rolling out of the locker. Yep, ten minutes into my first race and we’re anchored. It seems that no sooner than the race kicked off, the wind died. All of it, not even a puff. The incoming tide had us going backwards…
Not much to say other than we were all pretty sick of looking at the St. Pete Pier for the next 4 hours. When the breeze finally did begin to waft across the bay, anchors among the fleet were hoisted back into position freeing the becalmed vessels. Another hour later we finally passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge entering the Gulf of Mexico. The wind picked up to over 20 knots and had us on a port reach as the bow sliced nicely through the waves.

The entire race and vacation will be published in several installments, so stay tuned! If you are signed up as a free subscriber, the updates will magically appear in your email!

Filed Under: Travels