Eeesh... Fell Off Again

Ok well... damn I have to stop that, this whole falling off and not blogging or finishing a story type of thing. I made it home from that ride that night and it sucked bad, especially after a huge buck decided to try and take me out about 5 miles from my house. I did make it home around 12am or so and slept for like 14 hours to try and recoup. It was a long but immensly fun ride and I cant wait to do it again.

About that ticket, I paid it already and I got them to drop a the no motorcycle endorsement charge. The speeding 90 in a 60 and the passing in a no passing came to the whopping amount of $551 bux and that pissed me off. This thing is really starting to eat into my money and I need to be more careful because this is valuable trip money im blowing here! That $550 was basically a months worth of living on the road accoriding to my budget!!!!

Lately there hasn't been too much going on except some sailing here and there. I was going to do the Harvest Moon Regatta (sailboat race) again this year but my work cut me off with a planned network upgrade for that weekend. Well... the good news (for me anyways) is that Cisco, a huge networking company, delayed all of our core equipment until november or early december! Soooo... Im headed to Kemah wed night (sept 30th) because the race starts on Oct 1st. We will be racing 150 miles south to Port Aransas and expect to be there saturday at the latest. Then its parrrrttyyyy time! This year I also got the time off to help bring the boat back so I will be sailing back with Greg (double handed) on monday morning. Im super excited this year and Im hoping we will have a good chance because we wont be 40 minutes late for our start this time! Im also hoping we will have equally amazing winds like we did last year (20kts from the NW, making it a very broad reach, surfing at 10kts) and we will stomp the competition.

Anyways.. this has been my catch up blog. Ill write some more later... thats all I can muster right now.

Harvest Moon Regatta Part 1

Looking forward in Greg's boat

The Tallship Elissa

Cruise ships back at port

Anchored near the Galveston cruise terminal, waiting for Arty to arrive

Looking aft in Greg's beautiful Morgan 382

Cliff at the helm

Greg and Arty discuss life and politics

Approaching the Flagship Hotel, our start. Late.. very late

Finally we made it past the start (tetrahedron)

The boats in the distance is where we were supposed to be, but we were 17 minutes late for the start.

Vagabond 47, stunning.

Bearing down on ya... better shake that reef out

Our first victom getting passed

This is where I slept

Harvest Moon pictures part2

Greg and Cliff, early morning

Sailing into Port Aransas

s/v Barefoot Babe rounding the marker

Getting swept out of the channel

Greg at the helm, pure concentration

Arty!

Looking aft towards the gulf and the markers

First entering the channel, Arty is our lookout

Sailing Backwards

The current was horrendous!

s/v Barefoot Babe on the left

Yours Truly, Dave Rich in person, steering for the win

Traffic jam in the channel, port aransas

Arty in pre-celebration

Vagabond 47.. a beautiful boat. This is everyone stuck in the channels

The Renegade Burgee

Group picture of crew with the addition of Don (far left) from the forum we frequent for sailing and general rowdyness

Tankers in the houston ship channel

Greg, owner and fearless captain of Catharsis