WIPEOUT ALLEY

by Pam

It's sad but true.  A perfect storm that you can bet on.  When the wind is blowing from the South (the predominant breeze for White Rock Lake), approaching White Rock Boat Club can be a tricky proposition for the novice sailor.  It never fails, we put a new person on the fleet boat and they leave the harbor and manage fairly well until it's time to return and they have to navigate Wipeout Alley.  I believe we have fewer people successfully navigate that jibe than not.   They take a spill in grand fashion right there for all to see.  The regulars know to keep an eye out for the newbies as they round the corner to make sure they make it.  The wipeouts range from average to truly spectacular.  I'd like to know the statistics on how many guests return after such an experience.

Now, in the summer time, this is entertaining.  If only those that take the plunge knew just how many have gone before them, they'd realize it's more of an initiation than an embarrassment.  Tom and I once did a synchronized, tandem wipeout with me sailing over the top of his sail and sinking his mast in the mud as I recovered and sailed away leaving him stranded on the centerboard waiting for a rescue.

In the winter time, this is a serious hazard.  If the breeze builds during a race and the newer sailor returns to the harbor alone and the race committee either doesn't see them leave the course or has never navigated Wipeout Alley and doesn't know to watch them until the boat lands, things can turn serious in a hurry.  It's deceptively close to shore but in cold water, it's still too far.  Taking that plunge unseen, leaves the new sailor at a loss for what to do.  Leave the boat or stay with it?  Swim to shore or head for the nearest dock?   For two or three years now, I've seen countless entertaining spills in the summer and a handful of holy crap spills in the winter.  Doug suggested that we should instruct people to tack instead of jibe.  I'm a picture person, so I'll be laminating this instructional picture and taping it to the fleet boats.  Who knows, maybe more of our guests will return as a result.