Getting our charter boat tuned

Today we woke up to more sunshine and a slowly building wind that eventually gusted up to 25-30 knots (very windy). I was glad to hear that the regatta will be sailed in the bay which will provide smoother water and easier spectating than out on the open ocean on the other side of Punta del Este.

Before we finally got to go sailing, we spent a few hours getting our charter boat rigged and tuned with major help from Christin's husband Sean (Doogie), the Canadian team, a sailor from Bermuda, and a lengthy guide book that tells us how long and how tight everything should be to go fast. Doogie sealed up the chip and crack in the bottom of our rudder for us (the rudder sticks down in the water at the back of the boat and helps the skipper stear), and then he wet sanded it to make it smooth and fast. We spent a lot of time deciding what to do about having spreaders that are beyond the ideal length range (spreaders are stiff metal bars that hold out the wires going down to the deck from high on the mast, and they make a big difference in the rig tension and bend). Eventually, Peter Commette generously offered us his spare set which are the correct length (~16" vs. 18"). Tomorrow morning we'll take the mast down, put those on, and tune to the ideal measurements all over again--at least we're getting faster at tuning the Snipe!

In the middle of all that work on the boat, we took a lunch break which was the highlight of my day because I was able to contact Rusty and the boys for the first time via Skype at 7 a.m. their time/1 p.m. my time. My cell phone doesn't work here, so I hadn't heard their voices since Sunday (the longest we've ever gone without talking!). We were able to hear each other for a few minutes, and then we typed news and plenty of I love you's via Skype's chat feature. Rusty has had to make time for nebulizer treatments for Barrett (who is almost over his cold and resulting asthma trouble) along with getting them to/from school and all of the other household responsibilities, but Taylor has been a big help and they all seem to be having fun together.

After lunch and tuning, Christin and I got out for a brief sail to test out the rigging in the heavy air. The trickiest part was launching next to the fur seals stern first into the gusty wind with no dock nearby to tie up to. I plan on watching how gracefully the South Americans launch at the same ramp tomorrow since they've been practicing as a team with their coach the last two days already. Christin and I had a good mini practice with several tacks and jibes, and we discovered a little shockcord that had broken on the whisker pole and a couple of lines that needed releading. We were careful not to go too far away since we were the only Snipe out sailing and no one was watching us. It was very windy from the NE and very shifty as we got closer to shore.

I'll take my camera to the club tomorrow and take pictures to share with you. Our coach Leandro will be coaching us along with the other U.S. sailors who are here from an inflatable motor boat tomorrow at noon.