Saturday, December 31, 2005

Tillerman's Top Twenty Stories of 2005

Not long after starting this blog I wrote Where do flies go in the winter? which talks about the joys of winter sailing in New Jersey. In April I went to the Rick White Sailing Seminar in the Florida Keys and wrote Run Rabbit Run about one of my typically pathetic attempts to sail well when it really mattered. Then on the way back from Florida I sailed in the Laser US Nationals where I learned something about my Heavy Air Fear.

I don't often write profiles of my fellow sailors but in May a new member showed up at our club and everyone was asking "Who is that guy?" At other times it's the little incidental things that catch my attention which is why I was inspired to write about nipple rings and a sailor's vanity about his hats.

I find it hard to explain why I have such a passion for sailing but I made an attempt in Sailors' High.
The thrill of competition is part of the attraction; at our Laser District Championships I really got hyped up about a one on one battle with a French sailor in England Expects. And of course the friendship of other sailors is one reason we all enjoy sailing; I tried to capture the feeling of this community of sailors in Conversations.

Volunteering to work on race committee is all part of the sport. It's not always fun or easy but it is rewarding work as I describe in Perfectionist. As well as participating in racing and race committee I have other roles in the sport. As Laser fleet captain at our club, I occasionally had to deal with sensitive interpersonal and ethical issues affecting the fleet as in The F Word and Bad Taste. And in the summer I worked four days a week as a sailing instructor. One of my young students summed up, better than I ever could, why we love sailing in Spectacular.

I can't help laughing at my own bad luck at racing. Even when I do well something like a Broken Gooseneck will conspire to rob me of victory. But most of the time I only have myself to blame such as in Duck or Dead Squirrel.
In spite of my overall clumsiness and stupidity at this sport, once in a blue moon it all comes together and I have a good day as I did at The Regatta.

This is mainly a sailing blog but occasionally I write about my former life of work and my running; both made an appearance in Fruit of the Loom. This time of year (winter) it's all about frostbiting; and New Year's Day will see me back sailing again amidst the snow and ice as excitement mounts for the start of another year of sailing and blogging.

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