Sailing

Thom Dunn

You might not think of Detroit as a place for competition sailing, but the Detroit River runs past Wayne State, host of a college sailing team regatta. The course (this is a river, remember) was a single straight line from one buoy to the next a mere 100 yards upstream. I saw the only shot as getting over to windward, giving way as need be, and then coming about onto starboard and going straight for the upward mark. (We could not afford to come about while reaching for that windward mark). We (Ken Engler was my crew) squeezed past the mark along with several other boats that read the odd course correctly.

The challenge then was to shift full out, wung out wing and wing. In addition, we held our windbreakers open to catch a bit more breeze.

We didn't win, but we got a lot of cheers from the shore. Downwind we didn't move in the boat, but we took on water steadily until going past the finish line we were on our way down. In a play for gallantry we held our course and held our wing-out stance, sinking just as we crossed the finish life. What cheers ! what applause ! This was the most satisfying race we had ever run, coming in second in all the many races in the Midwest Sailing competition.

'Time of my life.