NOD regatta in Ottawa

I drove up to Ottawa a couple of weekends ago to sail in the annual NOD regatta. It was a little different this time around. I'm not sailing regularly on a boat so I basically was trying to get a ride with someone. I hadn't sailed all year and watching the wind and enjoying the warm weather gave me the sailing itch.

So I left early on the Friday and drove up by myself to Ottawa to meet up with people. I've got a soft spot for the city. I lived there for two great years and had a great time up there. Unfortunately, the economy took a downturn around 2003 and I lost my job and had to leave for work. I try to make it up there at least once every summer and every time I go I start thinking about living there again...who knows if that will ever happen, but it's a nice thought. In any case, my favourite spot there is the patio at the Lieutenant's Pump on Elgin St. I used to live around the corner from it and hung out there a lot...stopping by the Shawarma's King or House of Georgies (gravy on pizza...sounds gross but sooo good) on the way home. If you've never had a shawarma before, you're missing out. It's the Lebanese version of fast food...try one when you get a chance, you won't regret it. But I digress...the pump is also famous for a drink they serve called the smiling jerry. Doesn't sound like a good drink and looks even worse, but it's good. Just don't drink too many of them and make sure you have a ride home after you start drinking them. I managed to meet up with some friends there saturday night and downed a couple of Jerries before heading back to the sailing club.

Chuck was nice enough to have me on his boat "Nemo". He's new to the boat class and I tried to pass on the knowledge that I had. The sailing itself was a mix of good and bad. There was basically no wind on Saturday so no real sailing. The fleet decided to stay out there for the most part and try to enjoy the day without getting too roasted in the sun. Six boats ended up rafting together and throwing an anchor down. Almost everyone donned a life jacket as shorts and bobbed in the water with beer in hand...makes for effortless swimming and a great way to cool off. Here's what the scene looked like:







There was a ton of wind on Sunday though and some pretty good racing as a result. Our crew had never sailed together before and Chuck's regulars were still new to the boat. We put up a good show but had trouble keeping up with the lead group in the heavier winds. We had a couple of good placements but were back of the pack for the most part. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I'm in there somewhere...