Dragon European’s, Cascais Portugal….

The Club Naval de Cascais has a full boat-park due to the 70 boats that will take part next week in the Dragon European Championship 2013.  Although strong winds are forecast for the “Warm Up” event (Spring Cup II), it is hoped that the sun will return with more favourable winds next week, as is has done for the past two days. We have seen temperatures climb into the 20’s as the rest of Europe continues to freeze with cold Easterly winds.(Enough is Enough I hear you all cry). What a Winter eh ?  Maybe a certain favourite of our’s, Mr Poul-Richard Hoj Jensen had the right idea after all in Antigua.

If the sun does not materialise, then the “well sponsored” social programme will warm up the competitors as they gather in the club Marque after sailing each day.  Tuesday 9th is sponsored by the Portuguese Dragon Class who will provide a Pork “BBQ. On Wednesday 10th, we have a Transbunker Day, as Sergey Pugachev kindly sponsors a Sardine BBQ Party. Thursday 11th is the BMW Day, with Irish Music and Friday 12th is the Cascais Municipality Day with the official Regatta Dinner. Then last but not least on Saturday 13th the Club Naval will ask us all to celebrate it’s 75 anniversary, during the final Prize Giving Ceremony, to see which “Team” will be crowned European Champion’s..  ???

With Daily Prize Giving’s and plenty of “Après Sail” Banter, a great time will be had by all. I will do my best to bring you day by day results straight from the race course as I also hope to interview some of the top sailors both male and female, as we have at least four Lady Helm’s this year… Our most experienced is Gavia Wilkinson-Cox who has recovered from her dose of Flu and will be firing on all cylinders I’m sure. We also have our least experienced Lady Helm, Charlotte Ten Wolde, who stands in again for her Father Wouter, as he continues to recover well from a small operation. Charlotte showed some strong nerves and great will power to cope with the difficult conditions during the Juan Carlos Trophy..  With Eva Saukkonen and Tanja Jacobson making up the third and fourth Lady Helm, I wish them all good luck and good speed……….

In closing I must just let you in on just one “true story”.. Nothing to do with Sailing, but it just made me laugh like hell… Last week I collected my 80yr old Mother, her 89yr old lady friend called Betty and my 91yr old Aunty Peg from a local “Jumble Sale”, (second-hand clothes etc) and I listened whilst my Mother’s friend said “that’s a pity, these shoes I just bought are rubbing me in exactly the same place as the last new pair I had”…    So she gave them back to Aunty Peg who had taken them to the Jumble Sale to sell….

So Aunty Peg says to my Mother “Here Joan, why don’t you take these shoes home for yourself, they are about your size”….   My Mother says “don’t be daft Peg, it was me that gave you the shoes to put into the sale!”….  So then Peg asked where my Mother had got the shoes from ??   My Mother replied ” well I got them from Betty !!”…  “Because they rubbed her feet badly!”……   You can’t make that up, can you……..

Higher, Faster, Longer…..       Stavros.  USA 310.