SYC Grand Prix Regatta

GRAND PRIX 2022

80s VIBES AT THE FALL CLASSIC

When I think of Grand Prix, I can't help but reminisce about my first time racing with my parents back in the 1980s. It was a big deal to be invited and we felt like we hit the big time. With the 80s on my mind and in my Grand Prix weekend plans, and the decade’s hits blasting on my stereo, this report might be just “What You Need.” It’s definitely “What You Got.”

“I Can’t Fight this Feeling” that we were “Walking on Sunshine”, “Against All Odds.” They may have predicted light air and 100% rain all weekend, but “I’m So Excited” to say that’s not exactly what happened.

Seattle Yacht Club put the grand in Grand Prix at their historical regatta on October 21- 23, 2022. You might think I’m crazy, but “In the Heat of the Moment” it’s really about the overall experience of an event. Grand Prix delivered fun times on and off the water. “Would I Lie to You?”

I missed out on Friday sailing due to a room full of 7-year-old students, but I hear that, “Abracadabra,” the rain went away and the breeze came up. There was one long race on Friday, with a few laps up and down central Puget Sound. They say that the middle of the course was “Bad Medicine.” At the committee boat end, you had to “Fight for Your Right” to go right. If you were “Hanging Tough” on the shore, you fared well. There was “Mony Mony” on the outside too. “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Choosing one or the other kept you out of the “Danger Zone.” "Girl You Know it’s True," division winners on Friday included the likes of Glory, Hydra, Lodos, Vitesse, Jaded, and Jolly Green. There may have been a protest hearing when I arrived on Friday night, but “Our Lips Are Sealed.”

Saturday morning dawned rainy, sunny, southerly, westerly, northerly, and then easterly, “Right Round Like a Record Baby.” We were hoping for a “Fresh” breeze, but everywhere the marks were set, they ended up “Against the Wind.” “Don’t Stop Believin’”, we had a few practice starts and got in one good windward leg.

At one point, a herd of boats started motoring north unexpectedly. We didn’t see wind? Or hear anything on the radio? Smart sailors were literally chasing “The Blue Sky” to

avoid a temporary torrential downpour. With “Every Breath (of wind) You Take” already exhausted, the race committee sent us in for the day. I might be a “Maniac”, but it sounded super fun to join a fellow racer’s birthday party at an 80s show in Fremont. Why not “Dance the Night Away” after a day of drifting? “Everyone’s a Winner Baby”, “One Way or Another.”

Sunday morning, the regatta was on. A decent southerly filled and each of the divisions got off two or three races. With minimal shifts, a good start and ability to turn corners was clutch. The fast boat fleet got to stretch their legs a bit and employ more strategy racing to permanent marks. Other fleets did hot laps around temporary marks. Shortly after 2:00 p.m. we were ready for the last race of the weekend. Honestly, on my boat we thought we might have two more to go. It’s always better to have more than one person read the sailing instructions! As we went into sequence, there was just enough time to pull off all starts before the time limit, but a general recall in Division 1 derailed the plan. AP over A went up and we were all told to “Beat It.” It was not the “Thriller” that Grand Prix sometimes delivers, but definitely a fun day of good sailing.

It was time for “Puttin’ on the Ritz” at the big Sunday night party at Seattle Yacht Club. “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car”, the party is across town and some sailors went “All the Way” in dresses and, in one awesomely predictable case, an 80s tuxedo and flashing port/starboard shoes. We hardly recognized each other! To be honest, two of our crew quite literally did not recognize each other. A shout out for the bottomless beers that were refilled as you wandered around. And that cake! “Stand Back”! A grand regatta ending to be sure. They say the “Winner Takes it All”, but I say there was plenty of winning to go around.

Rockstar performances rewarded with bouquets of flowers include Smoke winning Class 1, Hydra in the top spot of the stacked Class 2, Lodos in Class 3, Vitesse coming in over the small but mighty boats in Class 4, Creative in the J/105 fleet and Underdog was the top dog in the J/80 fleet. Thank you, Seattle Yacht Club! It was “Just Like Paradise.” J/80 Underdog won their class.

Photos courtesy of Jan Anderson