Picture Story Of A Sailboat Race

By Sam Gesko

Recently a fellow told me, “I work in a noisy factory, drive through noisy traffic twice a day to get to work and home again. If I were buying a boat, I’d want something quiet—like a sailboat. . ." This while I was chauffering him around the lake in my powerboat yet!

It was quite a logical choice, considering the circumstances. The lake was rather crowded, as usual on a weekend, and the crowd was made up almost exclusively of runabouts—half of them pulling skiers. But through it all, a game handful of sailboat skippers had just run through a triangular race course, and we’d been following their progress from start to finish. The wind was brisk, the water choppy, and each leg of the course had seemed to present a different challenge, to require a different strategy, and to produce a unique result. All things considered, it’s little wonder that sailing produces such satisfaction for its followers.

These particular boats were Rebels, a relatively new class in the sailboat field. They are of fiberglass construction, 16 feet long, with a 6 1/2-foot beam, and carrying 166 square feet of sail. They’re good medicine for beginning and intermediate sailors.

As in any other competitive sport, experience helps to bring home the bacon. At the starting line no single boat had the advantage. But it wasn’t long before the field began to string out, and at the finish line the winner was all by himself.

Over the starting line they go.

Running before the wind. Jibing into the second leg.

Heading into home stretch.

All alone at the finish.