Goin' To Jackson

Regatta chair Jim Leggette welcoming sailors

Can't have a national Flying Scot event without bagpipes, right?!

With as much traveling as Ben and I do, we often are returning to clubs we've sailed at many times before. But it's also fun to go to new venues, and this year's Wife-Husband in Jackson, MS, was a new one for us.  Jackson is a mere eight hours from us, straight south on 55 and it was an easy drive.
 So easy, in fact, that we were a couple hours ahead of schedule. Because of that, I was inspired to pull off on an exit that had a little brown sign: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. I am not typically the kind of person to pull off for roadside attractions, but I've always wanted to be that kind of person. So I was inordinately pleased with myself. Also, the site was only five miles from the highway, so there was a low investment. The town was called Dyess Colony. There is a tourist center and museum and a tour, which we didn't do. What was even more interesting to Ben and me than it being Johnny Cash's home was the fact that this was a Depression-era resettlement community created by the government to help tenant farmers in Arkansas who had lost everything. Each family received a home and between 20-40 acres. They were expected to pay for the home over a 20-year span.
I bought a book about the project and have been enjoying learning about it. I had never heard of this aspect of the New Deal and I find it intriguing.

Lots of hugs at the Wife-Husband

Anyway, Jackson! We arrived Friday and there were lots of back slapping and hugging as is typical of this event. We had a very good Midwest representation: Ryan and Stacey (who placed SECOND! spoiler alert), Bronson and Rachel Bowling, Frank and Marianne Gerry, Jack and Janet Markwick, Ben and me and a couple that was new to me, Chuck and Sarah Lamphere from Delavan Yacht Club.

Friday was chilly.
It reminded me of the year we did the Wife-Husband in Alabama, Joe Wheeler State Park and it was so cold we were all shelling out tons of money buying every stocking cap we could find. I learned my lesson and had packed for every kind of weather this time. 

In front of the fire at the 2012 WH in Alabama

Sandy and Keith Eustis bundled up in 2012 in Alabama

Happily, in Jackson by Saturday the conditions were perfect: not too hot, not too cold and moderate (to light) winds.
The thing about the Wife-Husband is that it brings out the top sailors from around the country. This is no romp in the park, as you can tell by looking at the participant list. I will say that Ben got great starts every race but we got outfoxed by the wind every race. As Frank Gerry put it, we zigged when we should have zagged, and ended up on the wrong side of the fleet for every major wind shift and there were many in the 30 degree range.

















As I mentioned, Stacey and Ryan had an amazing regatta and even when they started out mid fleet with us, they somehow caught the leaders the next leg. Kudos to them! It was also fun to sail against the Lampheres. We got to chatting between races on Saturday since the water became glass for more than an hour and we waited on the lake to see what might happen. I hope we see them a little more in the Midwest circuit!

Stacey and Ryan get the job done

 A quick recap of the races; Saturday the wind was light and after the first race it died entirely. After waiting around for a good hour, the entire fleet began inching toward the harbor when the wind finally filled in and we got ourselves a second race. Each one was four legs with downwind finishes. I notice that we've been finishing downwind a lot this year. Seems hard for the race committee, but since they are making the call, more power to them.
Saturday dinner was outstanding Southern cuisine, including turnip greens, fried chicken, gumbo and the like. Also, there were both Bushwackers and a special regatta drink called a Highland Sling. Both good and potent!

Sunday the wind was supposed to build but it did not. Still, we got three four-leg races in. The challengers did two-leg races for two of the races and then the last race they did four legs as well. The wind had shifted a bit to the south and we hoped that meant we'd be able to figure it out a little better than the previous day, which did not turn out to be the case. But Brenda and Bob Twinem from Florida— great sailors who rarely leave their state — showed the fleet how it was done by leading wire to wire in the last race.

Brenda and Bob Twinem lead the fleet in Eightball. The fleet was "Behind the Eightball" (ha ha)

 The wind did come in stronger as we were putting our boats away, but I think the conditions were pretty perfect for the wife husband: very little hiking, moderate temperatures and lots of great sailors. The final standings are here
Next up? A few hardy Midwest sailors will be at the Fall 48 next weekend and in Sarasota, FL, the following weekend. Stay tuned!