SUMMER... Looking to the future (Part 85e)

After making sure all the boats had been hauled and were safely up on their trailers for the day I went to congratulate Cat. However, she was almost as distraught as she’d been after the first race. The AH had protested her again... this time for not having the proper registration number on her sail. Upon hearing that I wanted to go hit the AH up along side his head. Willy had overheard my reaction to the latest protest and upon seeing me headed for where the AH’s boat was located and cut me off. At first I was upset with Willy but he explained that a few of the competitors had gotten up a petition to be presented to the protest committee. The petition was asking to have the committee throw out the protests. They collected the signatures of competitors who had no problem with the discrepancy in the sail/registration number for Cat. Upon hearing that I felt better.

Long story short... The guy who had filed the protest was an attorney in the city and was known to be “different”. At the protest hearing he stated that if his protest wasn’t upheld he would take the matter to court. “Rules are rules” was his mantra and if the Comet Class didn’t want to uphold them as written then the Class should remove or change them. Unfortunately, the three men who had volunteered to serve as the protest committee were “snowed” by his bombast and allowed both of them to go through. When the decision was announced it cast a pall on the whole day. We’d had a perfect wind and weather day and this jerk had ruined it for almost everybody and especially for Cat and her husband. If the protests had been disallowed she would’ve been in fourth place.

Everybody was on their own for dinner but there was a party scheduled for back at the clubhouse at 8pm. When I rounded up Henry and his wife to take them over to my parents house I was still pretty upset. I was looking for him, in his official position with the class, to step up and put an end to what I called a travesty for the Class and for sailboat racing as a sport. He didn’t disagree but had to agree with the statement made by the AH about the rule being the rule. He did say that he would pursue changing the rules to be more realistic. There wasn’t anything more to be said after that.

At my parents house my mother was at her social best, insisting that Henry and Liz take a relaxing shower and then visit. Liz, upon hearing that our kids were right across the street, insisted that Elle go get them and bring them back. Elle and I hated doing this sort of thing but with my mother egging her on we really had no choice. By the time we were back with the kids my mother and father had convinced Hank and Liz to stay eat with them. Much to our dismay my mother insisted that we do the same. Our protests went unheeded and in an effort not to create a “scene” we agreed to have at least some salad with all of them.

Elle and I were cleaning up a bit when the subject of dixieland jazz came up. Both my parents were dixieland aficionados, especially my father. Henry stated that he was also a big fan and right before our eyes, the two men got up and ended up sitting on the floor in front of a large record cabinet. The rest of us sat and watched as the two of them started going through the collection. Long story short... Henry and Liz decided not to attend the party at the club choosing to stay listen to some of my father’s rare recordings. As a club member I didn’t have that choice so, after eating nothing more than a little salad, Elle and I headed back.

It was pretty obvious that quite a few of the competitors had opted out of the party as there were more club members than visitors there. The men outnumbered the women and Elle knew very few. Rex was there without his wife so I asked if he could cover for me so I could take Elle home. He wasn’t thrilled but I think he understood. Actually, if I didn’t have to be back there for launching duty the next morning I would’ve gone home and not come back on Sunday.

I shouldn’t have let the protests bother me but it did. I’ve admitted that I actually hated Leo, my ex boss. Hate is a strong word but I found myself hating the AH almost as much. He wasn’t competitive with most of the other boats and, for some unknown reason, decided to take out his frustration on Cat. It just wasn’t fair. I rolled and tossed most of the night, disturbing Elle in the process. We both had a hard time getting up when the alarm went off... but we did.

Arriving at the parking lot I was shocked to see a group of boats preparing to leave. I knew a few of the skippers but mostly by sight. I asked them what was up and was told that it had nothing to do with our sailing club. The protests and the comments after the results were announced had taken the enjoyment out of competing... and it was a long trip home. I told them I felt the same but as one of the members of the host club I had to be there. Just as I was about to leave them I saw the AH pulling into the lot.

I don’t know what came over me. When I’d “lost it” in front of Leo I’d had a few drinks. I hadn’t had anything since that day but as I walked over to his car I was just as mad. He was about 50 years old, balding and short. I was at his window before the car stopped. Like that day in Leo’s office I started yelling at him and I have no memory of what I was saying until I told him to get his boat and get the F___ off the property. I had no authority to have said it and he knew it. He got out of the car and started for me. As I said, I barely knew the group who was packing up to leave but all of a sudden there were a bunch of guys who were beside me and telling the AH it would definitely be best if he left. I remember that each time the AH tried to say something someone would yell at him to “SHUT UP!”

To be continued...