Sailing in Auckland

Auckland is referred to as the City of Sails, so I decided to go sailing on an America's Cup boat. The boat I was on, NZL40, never actually sailed for the cup, though. It started out its life as the cup boat for a French syndicate who ran into financial troubles and ended up unable to compete. The accountant for the syndicate, however, had no such financial troubles as he had embezzled all of the money. And no one noticed for 5 years. So I would say that this boat has a black cloud over it.

Now to the sailing. It is a hands on trip, so the passengers (14 of us) were able to steer and help keep the tension on the sails by grinding. Basically grinding entails 8 people operating 4 cranks, one person on each side of the crank. Each crank has 2 handles that are offset by 180 degrees, so each person on each crank has 1 hand on each of the 2 handles (there will be a quiz at the end). So we are sailing, having a good time, enjoying a nice breeze and going about 12 knots. It's a little overcast, but that is keeping it cool and there was no glare. Couldn't be better. So after an hour, we turn back towards downtown Auckland.

Except downtown Auckland isn't there. It was there, only it was obscured by the rain that had engulfed it. We are now sailing into a squall, with rain pouring down and the wind gusts around 25 knots. The rain felt like needles. We also had to tack, since the wind was not at our backs. I was at a grinding station mid boat when I heard a big thud. I turned to see an older gentleman on his back on the low side of the boat, his glasses cocked at a 45 degree angle. Apparently he couldn't brace himself as we tacked, left his feet momentarily and almost went into the water.

My partner at the grinding station for this bit was a crew member. I believe her name was Helen. The thing about grinding is that the cranks come very close to your face, especially if you lean in. So I am cranking away and all of a sudden, bam, my fist makes solid contact with Helen's face. She leaned into the crank, it wasn't my fault, honest. Now, I have done and said some stupid things to chase women away, but this is the first time that I have accidentally punched one. She was OK, but I felt bad. Hopefully the swelling goes down soon.

Right on cue, the sun came out and the rain stopped as soon as we got back onto the dock. The black cloud over NZL40 added to its legend today. At least in my mind, anyway.