Begin forwarded message:
> From: Chris <crisdino at earthlink.net>
> Date: August 21, 2007 10:56:57 AM PDT
> To: buckingham at sonic.net, broderic at sonic.net,
>hydrophilos at earthlink.net, tedwray at pacbell.net> Subject: Tchoupitolas...not a time for levity.....
> Reply-To: Chris <crisdino at earthlink.net>
>> -----Forwarded Message-----
>> From: Chris <crisdino at earthlink.net>
>> Sent: Aug 19, 2007 12:15 PM
>> To: Stephen Buckingham <buckingham at sonic.net>
>> Subject: Tchoupitolas...not a time for levity.....
>>>> -
> ....We are all still in shock......sad....I am,....at times teary
> eyed ..... as I recount this story....
>> We got the gun the first race but there were only two
>> boats....anti-climactic after the Nationals....but I didn't expect
>> a big turn out and wanted to hold Tchoups place in the
>> standings.....It was blowing 30, gusting to 35.....Bayview YC had
>> called a series of courses that had us finishing first...needing
>> to killing time, figuring that as normally happens, after all the
>> boats finish...the new sequence would start ....realizing that
>> boats were still finishing, after coming back to the starting
>> area, not wanting to miss it.....we went down toward the leeward
>> mark 31, to get out of harms way and finishing boats......so
>> around # 31 we hear on the radio that the race committee is making
>> a deal with "cloud 9", who has showed up for the second race, (we
>> don't know what happened to the blue tuna who started the first
>> race with us, it looked from a distance that they had jib halyard
>> problems)..... because it's supposedly the only Santana, to start
>> with the Alerons in 5 min. (in not so many words)....So...I hail
>> the byc boat and remind them that Chappy is still out and
>> planning to do race 2 also, so the race committee hails back and
>> says, "okay no worries, come on up to the starting area and we
>> will take it from there".....so as the byc requested we came about
>> and headed for the starting area which was typical for the south
>> bay set up.....close hauled and getting knocked down while
>> pinching with cars back, traveler all the way down, and full out
>> haul.....we headed back up planning to make it in two tacks to the
>> committee boat.....after tacking on the lay line onto starboard I
>> figured we'd reach the Byc boat in about 10 -15 minutes and see
>> what the byc had planned for us to do.....I was a little surprised
>> by the protocol change in the first place....so we settled in on
>> starboard tack for a while still getting hit by puffs, pinching,
>> as heavy as we could all get.....little did we know there was a
>> Benetau 37/40? coming up at 7-10 kts. on port tack to the lay line
>> we were on ....still finishing!!!! They were all heavy and not
>> looking....I suppose because for them, as for us, it was difficult
>> to look for traffic, the conditions being what they were..... and
>> not expecting any ........ as healed as we were and as heavy as we
>> were all trying to be...we would yaw and get knocked when I came
>> off the rail, even as I pinched........ All I remember was the bow
>> of the Benetau coming at me in the cockpit....it stopped us cold,
>> took down the mast, tore out the barney post, the port cubby
>> area....with the mainsheet detached.... I was in the water
>> instantly, amongst sails and rigging holding on to
>> chappy....eventually making my way to the transom and climbing in
>> with a hand from Ted. The crew was okay (thank god, no one was
>> bleeding or badly hurt, but we were all shook up) but in a panic,
>> so I took over the cutting and lashing process and we began
>> assessing the damage....were we going down? Could chappy make it
>> home? Somebody get an ID on that boat! Our rig was all over
>> their bow as well, Ted managed to put the motor on but it was
>> doubtful if we could use it due to the tangle of lines and rigging
>> under the boat... ... eventually we got things lashed and tied
>> down.....the big Benetau was circling and offered us a tow that I
>> stoically accepted, it made the most sense....so I fixed a towline
>> and tossed it .....somebody said the racing had been
>> cancelled.....and we began the long tow home ......luckily it
>> wasn't blowing as bad in the slot.....we all felt sick from what
>> had happened.....I was able to get into some dry clothes and our
>> minds then went on to "what happens next?" Conjecture was
>> rampant so I advised calm.....we were on Starboard. The skipper
>> Kennedy from the Benetau was a gentleman, towed us back to
>> brickyard and came up with his crew with hands outstretched and
>> apologizing,"I'm so sorry" he said ,"no worries, I am insured
>> etc."... and they invited us for a beer...which we declined to
>> sort things out.... We on chappy realized we we lucky not to have
>> been badly hurt.....But it was slim consolation as I surveyed the
>> damages amongst shredded sails and mayhem of mast and rig.....but
>> ol' Chappy had gotten us home! "It's probably totaled", somebody
>> said. And I'm sure from an insurance perspective it is.....but
>> having resurrected a Santana before....realize she can be fixed
>> and possibly, hopefully , be the better for it......I hang onto
>> that thought.....but the seasons over for chappy.....all this
>> stuff takes a while to sort out.....
> .....So I decided to not square her away but to leave her as was,
> to facilitate insurance assessment etc. .........She's up on the
> trailed in a heap....and now begins the task of sorting it all
> out......" the resurrection of Chappy"....I hope.....
>> Then ....there is the fact that she's a vintage racing boat....and
> her worth is less than the individual cost of her parts...(from an
> insurance point of view)...shredded new sails....mast.....rig....to
> name a few......I guess old Tchoupitolis was out there representing
> fleet #1. We have a lot invested in ol' chappy as you all well know
> yourselves...in regard to your Tunas.
> Thanks for all the support we have gotten so far from the
> fleet......we're going to need it......
>> .....Chris Giovacchini 5044 Tchoup....
>>>>
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