Happy Friday, all!
Well, it turns out my search for a boat to race on was shorter than I had imagined it would be. I'm going out tonight for my first official racing experience! I'm hoping to be out regularly on Wednesdays and treating the Friday races as optional/gravy. The skipper mentioned the Wind Point race and Queen's Cup as something he wants to sail in as well.
So, any advice? Any don't-ever-do-THIS-on-a-raceboat suggestions?
Thanks all. Looking forward to it!
-John

Awesome John! I'm sure there's a huge list of "don't ever do this on a raceboat" items... Here are a couple I've been yelled at for...

1. Don't wear shoes that put marks all over the gleamy white decking.

2. If it's light air, walk VERY softly as the stomping around makes vibrations in the hull and you lose .00000551 knots of speed which will make the skipper grimace and most likely shout at you.

3. Don't drop anything in the water, especially yourself. Not because he/she's concerned about your safety but because a man overboard is essentially forfeiting the race... Anything dropped in the water off of a true racing sailboat is likely worth more money than your soul... so mind those winch handles

and finally....

4. If the skipper asks you for a beer... be swift about it

I'm sure there's a thousand more

Ha, thanks! I've packed my white-soled Reeboks so that's good. I hate cleaning those smudge marks too!
No plans on falling in or dropping anything. But like people PLAN on doing that?!

Oh, and congrats on the birth of your daughter (just catching up on some of the other threads)! Great pictures. My wife and I have two girls, around 4 and 2 years old. What fun!

Thanks again.
-John