Friday, July 12, 2002

The organizers are catching on fast.  By 9 am, a more aggressive wind chant was conducted by the Junior Learn To Sail instructors and students.  By 10 am, competitors were scrambling to make the starting line.  Today was almost a perfect day for sailing - sunny skies, steady winds at about 6 knots, very competitive races but still extremely hot.  For the third day in a row, temperatures at the club peaked at or over 40 degrees Celsius.  Average temperatures are usually 28 degrees at this time of year.  Environment Canada is still trying to figure out why we had wind on the lake during a day in which a high system sat stalled over the area.  We credit the summer breeze to our "Wind God" and the chant.

Four races were conducted before lunch. Each race was competitive. See our results page for complete details.  The Kelowna Yacht Club hosted an all American food theme with subs in the afternoon and a steak and chicken BBQ in the evening.  The "Mike Perkin's Trio" entertained in the early evening offering smooth jazz to match the sweltering heat.  The stiffness of the competition from that days racing was evidenced by the number of protests heard by the official judges that evening.

There were brief experiences with nudity on the beach that evening.  Of course, the participants were under the age of two.  One of the guests insisted that diapers be put on the young lad because he was making some of our men feel a little inadequate (or so the story goes).

Submitted by D. Hamilton