Vintage Offshore Foundation
06-29-2005, 07:41 AM
With the morning’s dawn, what was it really like racing a 100 miles offshore?
Hugh Hulman
Pushing hard to maintain the lead in the night’s cold mist, the reddish Bermuda sun is starting to warm our backs. Now low on fuel, oil, and sleep the assuring whine of the lone wolf, Mercury Marine 427 sounds like a big band playing off key apiece called “home-ward bound”
Being the riding mechanic, my greatest worries have to be, someone in the band is playing out of tune, with the song playing over and over you start to here odd noises, could it be in your head? or is the weary band starting to flounder?
The pre-race excitement of the all niters performing the needed boat preparations, along with the excitement of the fast start and rough sea conditions we faced has fizzled out and worn off waves and waves ago. The arsenal of looks, gestures and movements between Don and I have been used up and played-out, so we just both look ahead hanging on to the grab rails with the band continuing to play.
I replaced the gauges before the race and now they look old and weathered or possibility could it be my eyes from being affixed for so long?
Forward ahead at about 60 degrees starboard at about three miles it looks like a very small approaching tanker or a very large swell? I point it out and the band tempo picks up he’s going to out run it portside, this should be interesting. If it’s a tanker will be fine with the speed we are running but if it’s what I think it is….
Hugh L. Hulman
hhulman@hotmail.com
(253) 874-4077
Hugh Hulman
Pushing hard to maintain the lead in the night’s cold mist, the reddish Bermuda sun is starting to warm our backs. Now low on fuel, oil, and sleep the assuring whine of the lone wolf, Mercury Marine 427 sounds like a big band playing off key apiece called “home-ward bound”
Being the riding mechanic, my greatest worries have to be, someone in the band is playing out of tune, with the song playing over and over you start to here odd noises, could it be in your head? or is the weary band starting to flounder?
The pre-race excitement of the all niters performing the needed boat preparations, along with the excitement of the fast start and rough sea conditions we faced has fizzled out and worn off waves and waves ago. The arsenal of looks, gestures and movements between Don and I have been used up and played-out, so we just both look ahead hanging on to the grab rails with the band continuing to play.
I replaced the gauges before the race and now they look old and weathered or possibility could it be my eyes from being affixed for so long?
Forward ahead at about 60 degrees starboard at about three miles it looks like a very small approaching tanker or a very large swell? I point it out and the band tempo picks up he’s going to out run it portside, this should be interesting. If it’s a tanker will be fine with the speed we are running but if it’s what I think it is….
Hugh L. Hulman
hhulman@hotmail.com
(253) 874-4077