Half-Way

by Race Committee, July 16th, 2016

Casting away false wind idols. Or welcoming aboard Badger Bob and King Neptune. These are traditions from old time sailors that recognized the accomplishment of crossing the Equator. Vic-Maui's version is the Half-way party. A number of boats including Longboard, Kinetic, Valkyrie, Westerly, Equus and Atalanta will likely reach Half-Way overnight. The celebrations may be mute while the crew thinks about how to shave distance off the competition, or a celebration over what has been accomplished so far.

The boats are all pushing hard in conditions perfect for a fast passage. But the pushing has taken its toll. While RC does not know the bill, we suspect there have been multiple failures of spinnakers, sheets, blocks and stuff across the fleet. A week's sailing to Maui is like 10 years of racing around the bay. So much has been done, but there is a much again left to do. So we suspect the Half-Way celebration is about the accomplishments so far, and a renewed focus on completing the rest of the trip safely and fast. I suspect some of Mt. Gay's finest might be sacrificed as a toast to Badger Bob and Neptune tonight.

 The official libation of all Vic-Maui celebrations

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