The New Toy

I love the smell of new monofilm in the morning.

(i.e., MMmmmmm... nneeewww ssaaaaiiilll....)

A 2009 Gaastra Poison 5.8

As mentioned earlier, it was all the result of putting my knee through my sail in the Breakwind to Beacon race.

The local sail shop (SHQ) had this competition for a brand spanker new Gaastra open to anyone who had competed in the race, all you had to do was be there at the post-race BBQ for the draw.
I'd competed in the race.
I'd busted my current sail doing so.
I needed a snag.
But I was sposed to be somewhere else/I was knackered and wavering, until good ole Mr Porridge said:
"Mate, you're sure to win... you need a new sail now. Its karma"

Such amazing logic.

So the snags were eaten and the draw commenced, but after a couple of aborted tries because "winners" weren't there (plus one person - Matt - was drawn out but gave it back as he'd won it the year before...) they decided it was all taking a bit too long, ditched the obvious jinxed drawer, and asked, of all people, Mistress P to be the new and infinitely more spunky barrel girl.

Being barrel girl involved the complex task of calling out some random numbers and the person with that number on the start list would win the thousand dollars worth of Gaastra's finest monofilm and crossply.

First she called out "3", but it was someone who worked in the shop.
"I'll put it back in stock!" they said.

No can do.

Then she called out "20" but yet again that nongsicle wasn't there to collect the prize.

"SAY A HIGHER NUMBER!!" yelled some whacker from the bleaches. (And no, that someone wasn't me...)

"Forty-five!" she cried.

Paul from SHQ flicked through his start sheet.
"Forty-five... forty five... thats... Andrew".

{No, couldn't be this Andrew I thought as i hid behind the masses...}
"Andrew.... Watkins"
{Oh crumbs...}

Suddenly someone yelled out:
"Hey - that's her husband!"
{I felt all sheepish... and cowered in the back clutching my BBQ raiding son; "Its too hot Michael!"}

Paul spun and faced the angry horde...

"But Andrews the bay wind web page guy (http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~awatkins/bay.html).
And he put his knee through his sail in the race!
Will we give it to him anyway??
What say ye?!?"

And everyone cheered.
Seriously.
They cheered.

I was stunned!
(Not to mention several hundred dollars better off.)

Thanks everyone - what a great community.
Thanks Matt a.k.a "the guy who handed it back cos he had won one before".
Thanks Gaastra!
Thanks SHQ!!

Look at her.
Sex on a (carbon) stick.

Stoked.