Top photo: A shot from Woodwind during the Thanksgiving Regatta in Coral Bay.
Bottom Photo: The yachts Liberty (foreground) and Breath.

Since we were in Coral Bay while their 26th Annual Thanksgiving Regatta was happening, we decided to participate and let Woodwind stretch her legs with a dozen of her gaff-rigged kind. The weather for Friday’s race was Caribbean casual, with 10 to 15 knots of breeze and very calm seas. We were first over the starting line and stayed there until the last leg, when we were passed by two Cowhorn Schooners, part of a fleet built in Coral Bay.

Saturday the conditions spiced up, with more wind and steeper seas. Racing in the traditional class, we set out with a sailing buddy on board, hoping to outsmart the fleet. But that plan soon went south. The downward spiral seemed to begin when our electronic bullhorn started making ambulance noises down below for no apparent reason. Moments later, I accidentally sat my camera in a bucket of sea water. And in answer to our “WHAT NEXT?” question, we found ourselves freight-training on a direct-hit course with another boat.

We knew they had the right-of-way long before they screamed, “STARBOARD!” A massive miscommunication ensued on Woodwind, followed by a slow-motion nightmare, each frame lasting for stretched-out seconds. Their three crewmembers hit the deck, and we watched, unable to do little more than push hard on the tiller and hope. Miraculously, we didn’t T-bone them with our 13-foot flying jib boom … it swept past the middle of their boat, then the aft quarter and just as we thought we would actually pass unharmed, Woodwind’s “nose pole” caught their metal sunshade gallows, ripping it from the deck and sending it flying into the sea. We’d also hooked their mainsheet, ripping it loose as blocks holding it in place exploded.

Once past, we looked back, relieved to see their crew safe from harm, moving furiously to deal with the falling sail. Our attention turned forward, searching our bow for a pile of flying splinters, but they weren’t there. Our battleship, Woodwind, had made it through unscathed.

Our mistake was the daily newsflash, until the carbon-fiber mast on a modern 70-footer exploded on deck, falling into the sea sails and all. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the “what ifs” were flying, especially since the boat, Sonny, and crew had just completed an ocean passage two days before. No doubt it was a shocking mess as it was … but what if it had happened at sea?

That evening, the Coral Bay Yacht Club passed out prizes to a raucous crowd. Everyone was a winner. The best announcement was that the proceeds from last year’s regatta had purchased new desks and chairs for every student in the neighborhood’s Guy Benjamin Elementary School, as well as much needed computer equipment. This year’s profits would add more. As the evening wore to an end, the sunny people in that shady place had plenty to be thankful for … especially us!

Jan