{"id":12519,"date":"2022-04-08T07:17:44","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T12:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=12519"},"modified":"2022-04-08T07:17:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T12:17:44","slug":"hail-columbia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=12519","title":{"rendered":"Hail Columbia!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been more than a week since Brenda and I left St Lucia, and returned to Antigua and we will be flying out on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Normally, I would stay behind and wait for crew to arrive but this year I decided to make the trip back to the US to help Brenda prepare for the remodeling of our kitchen, a job that is expected to take several months.\u00a0 However, it’s not looking great for a timely start for the job as our tile guy just bowed out of the job due to some sort of family issue.\u00a0 That’s a real setback so it’s doubly important for me to spend a few weeks trying to get things back on track.<\/p>\n

One of the reasons that we hustled back to Antigua was with the hope that I’d be able to get aboard Columbia a reproduction of a classic fishing schooner for the Classic Yacht Regatta, an event that brings beautiful yachts from all over.\u00a0 There are plenty of great boats that would be racing but she was the one that I wanted to be aboard.<\/p>\n

My friend Franklyn had spent a lot of time aboard Columbia and put in a good word for me with the captain, Seth.\u00a0 \u00a0At first it didn’t seem too promising but when I showed up on the first day of racing as directed by the Captain, he waved me aboard.\u00a0 \u00a0 After we all went below and signed in and were issued shirts, we assembled on deck for a briefing.<\/p>\n

Captain Seth is very focused on safety and while he wants to win and expects a lot from his crew, he made a point that we were supposed to have fun and, of course, stay aboard Columbia.\u00a0 \u00a0At the end of his daily briefing, he led the crew in a rousing chant of “hail Columbia”, a great way to begin a day of racing.\u00a0 <\/span>\"\"It was awesome to be aboard such a spectacular yacht for three days of racing.\u00a0 \u00a0The wind was forecast to be breezy and that’s exactly what we got.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even getting her underway from the dock is a sight to behold. \"\"Each day we had different colored shirts, including those donated by Carib beer.\u00a0 I love that brand and to have a bright yellow shirt and hat to match was great fun. \"\"What a thrill to be aboard and underway.\u00a0 \"\"The “crew” from Carib beer.\"\"The crew thought nothing of climbing, no make that scampering, up the mast to untangle whatever.\u00a0 \"\"To sail on Columbia in “sporty” conditions is nothing short of spectacular!\u00a0 Blasting along in 25-30kts of wind made for a pretty wet ride.\u00a0 At the end of this short video, watch someone be swept down the deck by a boarding wave.