Key West Race Week & Key Lime Pie Photos & Article by ALINA K. DIX t’s almost midnight. Arriving at my motel room I’m both nervous and excited. The week ahead will be a whirlwind adventure and over before I know it. But right now, I’m meeting my roommate for the first time. Will we get along? I’m already grateful that she stayed awake to let me in as the office is closed until morning. Sara Proctor opens the door, “Hi, Alina. Our toilet doesn’t work.” I begin to giggle, “Well, we could just use a bucket.” She laughs and we agree to deal with this issue tomorrow. Right now, it’s bedtime. The alarm beeps. By 8 a.m. on Sunday, Prep Day is underway with a morning meeting for all Race Committee. I’ll be serving, along with fellow CYC members Leif and Laura Sigmond, as Short Weather Markset for Division 1 (Big Boat Circle). Following the meetings, Leif, Laura and I follow Jay Kehoe to the Truman Annex launch ramp. We find seaweed piled three feet high and boats tied across the launching area. Okay, now what? Leif proposes launching instead at the public ramp across the island. Of course, there’s a catch: a marathon blocks our route. So, we might have driven through said “marathon.” I’m sure nobody noticed. With Mac in the water and docked, time to figure out how this new equipment works. Attempting to inflate massive round mark was a bit of a failure until Leif bought a new inflator. Attach all anchors to lines and add counterweights, check. Testing 1, 2, 3 on the private channel radio... silence... testing, testing... silence. Get replacement radio, check. We
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Blinker | Spring 2016
