When I was invited to sail in the Harvest Moon Regatta, I was extremely excited and immediately made it my first priority that weekend. Having never sailed offshore or overnight, I had no idea what to expect, only that I needed to prepared. So I packed everything our skipper recommended and headed down to the Galveston area.
After an afternoon of final preparation on board the sloop-rigged Kalik 40, I met the rest of our crew and we all prepared for the race the next day. We got up early the next day and started our four-hours-by-boat trip to the start line. When we got there, we sailed around in close proximity under mainsail only until our start. The first leg was a downwind run, so we hoisted the symmetrical spinnaker immediately and ran with that for the entirety of the first leg during which we prepared and ate dinner. As the sun went down, we rounded the first mark and headed into an upwind beat which we would maintain for the rest of the night. This was a wild experience for me. I have mostly sailed on lakes, and only during the day, so to be sailing along, heeling at a 40 degree angle, going over two to four foot swells, watching the sun go down and the moon come up and for us still to be racing was a feeling to be compared to none other. I could feel the boat almost jumping from wave to wave, surfing down one side, running up the other, striding through the water with the joy of one who knows exactly what they’re doing. I was rather sea sick, so I wouldn’t go below to sleep so I tried to get some rest on the deck, which was easier said than done. However, I did get some rest and was ready to stand my watch from midnight to four with some of my other crewmates. After I got off watch, I napped some more and was up in time to see the gorgeous sunrise. At around 0900 we rounded the upwind mark and hoisted the asymmetrical spinnaker and ran under that for the final leg of the race. We had lunch during the final leg, and finished approximately 24 hours after we started.
We placed third in our class, PHRF Spinnaker. The last thing we had to do was head back to our home port. When we made it back, we cleaned the boat and ourselves and went for dinner at a local restaurant. After that we went to bed on the boat and slept for as long as we needed. The next morning we had a brunch at a local café and hung around the Lakewood Yacht Club until the awards party which started at 1630. We had a barbecue dinner, and listened to live music and generally had a good time. After our team received our award, I headed home. I was so grateful for the opportunity to race, and still overwhelmed by how amazing the whole sail had been.
More on the boat, team, and event at https://www.facebook.com/txsskeelboat/
— Reagan S.
