We Drifted, Swore, and Somehow Finished Second
Cape Dory Carlton Gets Called Up to the Bigs (and Nearly Becomes a Jib Sheet Hero)
Launch on Monday. Race on Saturday. Because why ease into the season when you can just cannonball into it?
With Canadian Ken begging for a day off (something about going to the lake for a swim) and Green Mountain Josh having retreated back to the Green Mountains muttering something about “seeing his granddaughter and probably never being able to race again,” I was left short-handed.
So I made the call.
Enter Cape Dory Carlton—a man with limited race experience but unlimited optimism, several sun hats, and a general air of confusion around racing rules. He’d never raced the Morgan 382 before. I am not sure he’d ever raced, period. But he showed up early, eager, and with snacks and cold après race beer. So, you know, crew of the year.
Pre-start maneuvers were going reasonably well until, just before the 5-minute gun, POP—our jib sheet made a run for it. Like a Labradoodle off-leash at a state park, it was gone. Carlton looked at me. I looked at Carlton. Panic began to boil. But then… mercy from the race committee: a 10-minute delay! Time to fix the issue and pretend like nothing happened. I’d like to blame this mishap on Green Mountain Josh, but the fog of launch day makes it impossible to remember who tied on what…But I am sure it was him!
The start horn sounded and off we went—miraculously in control, more or less. By the windward mark, we were 3rd out of 6. Not bad for a boat fresh off the jackstands and a crew whose primary qualification was owning a Cape Dory. And this was only our third attempted race…in four years. The first ended with our genoa tearing apart, us retiring in defeat, and playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who’d get hauled up the mast to fetch the halyard. The second one ended with a nice 3rd place finish 2 years ago. In short, anything could happen.
The breeze was light and variable—the kind that inspires poetry and profanity in equal measure. But we kept grinding, whispering sweet nothings to the sails, and occasionally threatening them with replacement. And wouldn’t you know it? We clawed our way up to 2nd across the line and 2nd overall on corrected time.
We lost to a slick Sabre 34 that probably hasn’t missed a bottom cleaning since Obama’s first term, but we beat an Ericson 33, a Bristol 35.5, a Sabre 30, and—God love her—a catboat that made it home before dark (we think).
As for Cape Dory Carlton? He had no idea what all the fuss was about. Just smiled the whole time, trimmed when asked, and at one point shouted, “Where the bow-legged women at?” He says he’d do it again—if invited. We just might invite him.
So, that’s how it went: one boat, one backup crew, a lost jib sheet, light breeze, lots of swearing and a nice etched glass we’ll proudly display—because it turns out second place can feel like a win.
Fair winds, full snacks, and tight bowlines,
— BoatFools Sailing Team
Sea Reads and Other Things
First, this boat is so sweet. I really hope folks lean in and watch this video. She’s pretty mint for $10k. Check out The BoatFools Market Report for updates to boats we have profiled.
Canadian Ken and I are going to see this beauty this week - so tune in next weekend (07/12/2025) for a full tour!
Lastly, if you’re someone who loves the ocean, check out this new release from David Attenborough: Ocean: The Last Wilderness. It’s wonderful - and sobering.
Fun story...very entertaining