What Cool People Do
by Molly Winans, SpinSheet Magazine Editor
According to the NOAA website’s Thomas Point Light Station, the air temperature is 41 degrees Fahrenheit. The Bay, 42.6 degrees. It’s blowing 12 knots out of the northwest and gusting up to 14 knots. The sky is clear and expected to remain so. Would you like to go sailing right now on a one-man, 14-foot sailboat? Two dozen Laser sailors from Annapolis say “yes.”
The most obvious first two questions would be, “Why?” and, “Are you crazy?” We tend to ask those questions of anyone at the extremes of a sport. This is not professional sailing here. We’re talking about recreational, Sunday afternoon sailing. Whether we—meaning the non-dinghy-frostbite-racing majority—are racing sailors or cruisers, who prefer “reasonable” weather, we shouldn’t just dismiss these hardcore frostbite sailors as crazy. They have something to teach us.
There have been best-selling books on how to be happy; here’s the free, one-page cliff notes version for sailors.
Funny how many times these one-man dinghy racers mention camaraderie. What drives these sailors from a racing perspective are the power and learning experience of relying on their own skills and wits to steer, trim, and navigate their own boats effectively around a race course. That the friends will be there on the docks and race course is the underlying force that propels them to the sailing club in the cold.
Do something that takes you out of your comfort zone, and you may be surprised by how much fun it is. Gavin O’Hare says, “We feel tougher than the average bear when we suit up and brave the elements—classic adrenaline junkie culture.” As a first-year frostbiter, Love agrees, “Everyone’s out there toughing it, and I love being a part of the stories that get told when everyone’s sharing their ‘This day was so cold’ stories. Weather shouldn’t get in the way of doing something you love.”
An on-and-off frostbite racer for 20 years, Peter Young admits that not only does he not like sailing in the cold, but that he’s also not an “adept” Laser sailor. He does it because he doesn’t have the luxury to travel to southern winter regattas as many of his competitors do, yet he wants to stay on his game and be competitive come summer championship season. He relates his most memorable frostbite racing experience: “One afternoon three years ago, it was snowing quite hard on the water. The snowflakes were huge, visibility was down to about 100 feet at times, and you had to clear three or four inches of snow off the deck after every race. I was smiling the whole time.”
Most of the sailors interviewed prefer ski gloves, thermal garden gloves (found at True Value Hardware for less than $10), or Altas Lobster Gloves (worn by lobstermen) to sailing gloves. The recycling award goes to O’Hare, who dons wool socks, covered with plastic grocery bags inside neoprene booties.
Don’t be afraid to just be your cool self. Hal Whitacre says, “I love winter sailing. The harbor is free of boats, and it feels so cool to be out sailing when most folks are in watching football. The thought of capsizing keeps me paying attention. Almost sliding off the ice-covered deck keeps you on your toes, too. I did that about three times last week, laughing the whole time! …I sailed a few times in Chicago in their Laser frostbite series. You think it’s cold here…”