Most Embarrassing Sailing Moment

This story has been dubbed "Protest Shoe":

I've accepted a Group Writing Project assignment from Tillerman. Yes... a dingy sailor... Not holding that against him, he's got a reasonable idea to have some fun, build community and learn something in the process. You see the whole idea of blogging (or any online collaboration) is to get readers contributing rather than just consuming. He's asked that we "blog about the worst mistake or most embarrassing moment [we] had while sailing" and let him know about it. He'll post links to the results of our labor and Proper Course becomes the hub of sailing disasters...
I don't know if this ranks as my most embarrassing sailing moment... I try to block them out as quickly as the come. This is, however, one moment... one embarrassing moment... that I remember (at least partially) and one that has a lesson. It's been several years now but I used to wear these red "salt washed" Sperry Stripers. I'm glad to see they no longer carry them in red. While I don't really remember the situation, it was probably just a Thursday night race which is typically a little less competitive and often more forgiving when it comes to protest situations. On the other hand, it could have been a regular weekend regatta.
At any rate, we probably got into a little NASCAR yacht racing. My skipper is fond of saying, "If you can drop razor blades between our boats, then we're not close!". I'm sure there was yelling, quoting sailing rules, arguing which rules apply or not and eventually the word... "PROTEST"! At that point, Gordon would initially reach for the protest flag before realizing it wasn't hanging on the backstay. This would lead to a frantic and repetitious call for, "Mike, get the protest flag!".... "Mike, get the flag out!" On this occasion, the protest flag in its little black, plastic film canister is AWOL (Do you remember film?). I'm searching in all the usual and even some unusual locations for the protest flag and coming up empty. Then Gordon notices my red Sperry's and says, "Give me one of your shoes... tie it off on the backstay!" What? You've got to be kidding! Nope, to make the protest official, we have to fly a flag or in this case something red is good enough for Gordon.
So, off comes my shoe and it's tied off and dangling from the backstay. Gordon is happy that his protest is now somehow legitimate and I'm sitting there with one shoe on and the other hanging by a thread. I'm just wondering when I'll get my shoe back.... I don't think we had to finish the race with the flag. If I recall correctly, the other boat spun circles, clearing themselves and my shoe from further embarrassment.
So now we have a rule on the boat that it's not fully rigged for racing until the protest flag is on the backstay ready for deployment. And I no longer wear red Sperry Stripers...

Comments

EVK4 said…
I had some of those in high school, they quickly become pink so I'm not really sure they qualify as a protest flag. I've heard stories about bikini tops being used; just wish I had been there.
2:34 PM
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