by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
Urbanna Va.— The annual Turkey Shoot Regatta is “a fun event that celebrates beauty, traditional spirit and the pure joy of sailing in a classic boat race.” At least that’s what the brochure states. I’ll say this: the Turkey Shoot is always exciting.
Actually, it is the number one fundraiser for local hospices that make a difference in the lives of so many people they touch. I guess that’s why husband Chip signs up our 26-foot sailboat, “Shameless,” circa 1979. It’s a good cause and I must admit it always ends up providing a great story for this column.
The crew for Shameless for the two-day regatta was Chip, daughter Liz, and teenage granddaughter Hayden. I showed up for the skippers’ meeting at the Rappahannock Yacht Club, happy hour and dinner of heavy hors d’oeuvres on the Friday before the race. But that is the extent of my participation. I know better than to crew for the actual race. Years of experience have taught me what I can do in my marriage and what I definitely cannot do. The problem always encountered is we can’t agree who is skipper and who is crew.
Before I describe the adventure as recounted to me by my granddaughter after the race, I want to especially credit staff members of Riverside Hospital that volunteered their time and talent to prepare and serve delicious foods for the hungry crews during the Friday dinner. These dedicated people worked hard for three days to help support their cause. Thank you, Riverside Hospital!
The adventure started at 5:45 a.m. that Saturday morning of the race. The first task was to sail the Shameless over to the site of Rappahannock Yachts on Carter’s Creek. “Wear warm clothes” I warned as the wind was high, white caps (my husband heard over the ship to shore radio someone had measured a gust at 31 knots that morning), and it had dropped into the 50s overnight, signaling that summer had finally ended.
I also suggested they eat breakfast before leaving in case they didn’t make breakfast at the Rappahannock Yacht tent which served meals only between 7:30-8:30 a.m. They dropped anchor in Carter’s Creek at 8:15 a.m. but by the time the water taxi delivered them to breakfast it was 8:40 a.m. Not even one crust of bread could be had for the hungry crew.
They joined a long line waiting for the water taxi to return to the boat for the 11:15 a.m. start at a point just off Christchurch. But the Shameless was gone! They panicked. Finally the water taxi took them a quarter-a-mile away and found the boat. It had dragged anchor but miraculously had not hit another boat or a dock but was solidly aground. Fortune again struck when the Captain was able to break free and continue to the starting mark. The starving crew devoured their lunch. It was 10 a.m., one hour and 15 minutes before the start.
The start was exciting as all starts are, with many sailboats in big winds. Two boats collided, their masts, sails, sheets, shroud and halyards perilously entwined. A man in one craft fell overboard but was quickly rescued. The boats were immediately disqualified. I just hope they got a good breakfast after such sudden and sharp disappointment.
The starting gun went off and they went like banshees down the first leg on a triangular course. The wind was so strong the map flew overboard, but caught on a halyard and was miraculously retrieved. The wind never let up and the crew lost sodas and sandwiches every time they jibbed or came about.
Which leads me to a major problem for the crew. They should have used a storm jib because the regular jib was too much sail to control the boat in such wind. (Nothing like a Monday morning quarterback.) After passing the second mark, the rudder could not hold and snapped leaving my surprised daughter holding the stick helplessly in her hand. The boat immediately went in irons. Chip stood up to frantically signal other boats coming up fast on the stern that they had lost power. All this stress on top of no scrambled eggs and bacon.
What to do? There was no choice but to leave the race and head back to Urbanna. They took down the sails and headed home. Fortunately the trusty Suzuki outboard motor served as rudder for the sailboat and the crew arrived safely at dock, starved for another lunch.
Well, another adventure on the Turkey Shoot. Last time the Shameless snagged a marker as it rounded the first buoy and was immediately disqualified. They were too late for breakfast for that race too. The amazing thing to me is sailors call this fun. ©2019
