During Chester Race Week 2011 there was an unfortunate incident involving Elida, my 1937 International One Design that was t-boned by a boat appropriately named Mayhem. As a result I needed to find a ride on another boat if I was going to enjoy race week. My friend and Yacht Broker, Jim Snair, put me in touch with Bob Garrity.
Bob sails out of RKYC in St. John, New Brunswick on his boat "Boss Lady". Bob's wife, Shirley, was the boss, as you can guess. Bob asked me to come on as local navigator and tactition since they were all from NB and hoped that my 'local knowledge' would help them. Boss Lady is a 39' Nelson Merrick, One Tonner. An ocean racer that does well in big winds and seas. The first day of racing she took first place in the Distance 2 class with winds between 15 and 20 kts and confused seas. Bob and his crew from NB sailed the boat from St. John to participate in race week.
The second day of racing we didn't get a race off due to light winds. The third day we sailed a good race to a second place finish. The last day of racing, we carefully positioned ourselves not to split from the fleet and finished second and took a first place overall. The skipper and crew were very pleased with the result.
