Sunday 10/15 IB Roberts 265, 9.9

[DimitriMilovich]

Late start was still OK today. On the water by 3:30 after watching Paul, Angie and others rippin' it up on smaller (for DC) gear - 7.5s, while I performed more rigging dweebery. That new cool thin downhaul line is very slippery -- my stopper knots keep coming out., this time lauching the base of the extension into my thumb bone. Bled all the way back and forth across DC -- just like Pirates of the Caribbean, blood running on the deck.

Sarah showed up and went out on 7.2? Flattened the 9.9 and went out to sea. Decided to first convince myself that I could go downwind , before heading up to the dam. Hooked in, bore off, picked up speed, bore off more, picked up more speed...endo! My "cartwheel" as it was called, was visible to watchers on IB rigging. Mercifully, I couldn't hear the hoots as I drifted out of sight around the island. Ego dunked, soggy, but still intact, I ran up to the Dam buoys and found three sails up there. Started back on my downwinder with George hot on my heels, and sure enough, ENDO #2!. George was kind enough to shout if I was OK as he went by, but I know he was choking back the laughs. Ah, splash and learn. Lots of tuning and technique to pull together going deep with this big stuff. Finally got some good downwind reaches by the time I got back to IB, but was too exhausted to hang with the merry band reaching back and forth. Glad I wore my full suit, but not because I was cold, just in case of more cartwheels. Water is very tolerable and I was plenty warm. Thank God I had a water bag or I would've been dehydrated. Pulled out at 5:15. Overcast and windy still. What a great string of days at DC!

[RickHeninger]

That's it Dimitri you stud! Blow Out is next!