Getting Squirrely

This weekend we took a break from the 49er and opted for something a little bit bigger and with more buttons. We got a ride on The Secret Squirrel, a canting keel Schock 40 out of Richmond Yacht Club, for the YRA 2nd Half Opener Regatta. Two races over two days and two bullets makes for a good weekend either way, but we had an especially good time on The Squirrel. It was our  first time on something with a keel like that and we geeked out over the hydraulics for longer than we'd like to admit. The boat has some other fun stuff going on too, like a bow rudder and some pretty serious runners. Besides being tutorial is sweet big boat systems, this weekend of racing was great for us insofar as it gave us alternative perspectives on how top level sailors are talking in the boat, what they're talking about, and what they're thinking about around the track. In sailed angles The Squirrel isn' that different from our 49er, so hearing discussion about the current in the bay and what is meant for lay-lines was especially helpful for us. Hearing a bunch of pros talk about the shape of a flat head mainsail (same style as the 49erFX) isn't a bad way to spend an afternoon either. Off the water too, the conversation about boat tune and maintenance really opened our eyes to the level of fine tuning and organization we can bring to our own program. Finally, sailing The Squirrel reminded us of just how much fun a boat full of sailors can be. We get a bit lonely sometimes with just the two of us so being around such a smart, funny, and happy crew was awesome. Thank you so much to Zach Anderson and Will Paxton for having us on board! We loved it.