Top 10 List for Day 2 of the Great Texas (by Steve Piche, Skipper of Team Great Texas):
1. Blurry: First of all, please excuse typos and everything other mistake in this top 10 list. After two brutal day, I am putting in the final .1% of energy left in me today. I am beat up and tired. Brutal two days of sailing.
2. No wind and big surf: Even tougher than yesterday was getting out of the surf today. The second break was relentless and the wind was damn near nothing. We were just boxed in and getting pounded by waves for a good half hour. Finally, the wind came up enough and we got a flat wave section and finally got through the second break. When we finally broke thought with nothing broken, Juke and I let out a big cheer.
3. Lighty Wind: However, when we got out, it was very light. We were able to put up a spin and sail on a tight reach. Cat in the Hat popped out first, us second, DBB third and then TCDYC and Mikey Likes It. There was an incident between TCDYC and Mikey Likes It in the surf and there is some discussion of redress, however, I don't know the details. In the light wind, we got a back fill and Mikey Likes It was able to catch us. We also caught up with Cat in the Hat.
4. The Battle Begins: For the next 8 hours, the Austin boys, our team and Mikey Likes It battled it out. After catching us, Mikey Rohrer decided to drop his spin first. His plan worked and he was able to jump in front of us. I thought double trapping spin reaching was faster but Mikey proved us wrong and jumped out in front of us.
5. Joe and Ian: Hey, big shout out to team DBB from Casper, Wyoming. Despite tough, tough conditions, they have hung in there and finished the legs. Today, they came in after dark for the second day in a row. They had the fun of flipping 3 miles from the finish. They are seeing how big Texas really is.
6. Physically Brutal: I simply cannot describe how physical brutal the last part of the day became today. Being trapped out for hours upon hours, constant waves hitting you, your competitor right in front of you driving you on. It just is undescribable how brutal it is. My neck hurts from holding my head up while trapping. You have a back support but no neck support. The fact that you are nearly delirious from the physical effort and still can keep going is a testament to the human spirit and competitive nature.
7. The Battle Ends: After Mikey showed us jib reaching was the way to go, we had to chase him. We had a traveler problem that required some repair. Once that got fixed, we went gunning for them. When the wind came up, we were catching them but they were damn fast. We double trapped jib reached for hours making small dents in their lead. Eventually, they got us by 2 minutes.
8. Surfside: Super happy for a nice short 60 mile leg tomorrow. These 100 mile legs are tough. It also so much fun to see all the Dasher in Surfside. Finally, my family plans to be on the beach to meet us.
9. T-Shirts: Got to give a shout out to Aaron McCulley and Dan, Dan the T-shirt man for the great T-shirts. We all love them.
10. Pray for Wind and No Surf: Can we just have a normal start tomorrow? Wind and little surf! Please!
2. No wind and big surf: Even tougher than yesterday was getting out of the surf today. The second break was relentless and the wind was damn near nothing. We were just boxed in and getting pounded by waves for a good half hour. Finally, the wind came up enough and we got a flat wave section and finally got through the second break. When we finally broke thought with nothing broken, Juke and I let out a big cheer.
3. Lighty Wind: However, when we got out, it was very light. We were able to put up a spin and sail on a tight reach. Cat in the Hat popped out first, us second, DBB third and then TCDYC and Mikey Likes It. There was an incident between TCDYC and Mikey Likes It in the surf and there is some discussion of redress, however, I don't know the details. In the light wind, we got a back fill and Mikey Likes It was able to catch us. We also caught up with Cat in the Hat.
4. The Battle Begins: For the next 8 hours, the Austin boys, our team and Mikey Likes It battled it out. After catching us, Mikey Rohrer decided to drop his spin first. His plan worked and he was able to jump in front of us. I thought double trapping spin reaching was faster but Mikey proved us wrong and jumped out in front of us.
5. Joe and Ian: Hey, big shout out to team DBB from Casper, Wyoming. Despite tough, tough conditions, they have hung in there and finished the legs. Today, they came in after dark for the second day in a row. They had the fun of flipping 3 miles from the finish. They are seeing how big Texas really is.
6. Physically Brutal: I simply cannot describe how physical brutal the last part of the day became today. Being trapped out for hours upon hours, constant waves hitting you, your competitor right in front of you driving you on. It just is undescribable how brutal it is. My neck hurts from holding my head up while trapping. You have a back support but no neck support. The fact that you are nearly delirious from the physical effort and still can keep going is a testament to the human spirit and competitive nature.
7. The Battle Ends: After Mikey showed us jib reaching was the way to go, we had to chase him. We had a traveler problem that required some repair. Once that got fixed, we went gunning for them. When the wind came up, we were catching them but they were damn fast. We double trapped jib reached for hours making small dents in their lead. Eventually, they got us by 2 minutes.
8. Surfside: Super happy for a nice short 60 mile leg tomorrow. These 100 mile legs are tough. It also so much fun to see all the Dasher in Surfside. Finally, my family plans to be on the beach to meet us.
9. T-Shirts: Got to give a shout out to Aaron McCulley and Dan, Dan the T-shirt man for the great T-shirts. We all love them.
10. Pray for Wind and No Surf: Can we just have a normal start tomorrow? Wind and little surf! Please!
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