This Friday afternoon was possibly the lightest day sailing in a long list of light day sailing. Quite probably a day just as light was experienced in Canberra in the distant days when I sailed NS 14s and where the water was so flat it was hard to tell what was reflection and what was real. In the even more distant days when I was a young Moth sailor 54 years ago we had a winter race at RPYC in Western Australia where the breeze died and in second place I refused to retire even though it was windless. In that distant day before cut off times for races the committee turned off the lights so I could rock home over the line and everyone could go home. Also there was a string of light days at Jeju Island in South Korea where we could not get off the beach for lack of wind but as far as light days where we actually started today was possibly a record. We started in two to three knots and made good progress up to Birchgrove but along the Drummoyne shore any wisp of wind was a figment of an overactive imagination and off of Spectacle Island the committee cruised around the fleet making gestures as to indicate that the race was dead. Yes like the Norwegian Blue it was dead, deceased, no more.
On the bright side we motored home at speed stowing the sails and beat the rain. Now safe inside the warm house with air conditioning blasting warm air into the room we can be grateful for another day of light exercise and sunlight before the rain.