This weekend Zippey and I participated in the Pink Boat Regatta. The Pink Boat Regatta is a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and a fun way to get people out on their boats raising money to save lives.

I have participated as crew for the Pink Boat in the past, however this year Zippey and I wanted a more active role. We entered late but still managed to raise $850. Thank you to all who sponsored!  Altogether the boats raised $60,592!

Weather the day of the race was fantastic…for sunbathers. The race took place on Lake Union in Seattle. There was little to no wind. For crew I had racers AJ and Shane onboard. It was the first time I had sailed on Lake Union, and AJ and Shane had limited experience also. Sailing in the lake is challenging. The wind conditions are ever changing with the hills and buildings around the lake. In a photo below you will notice my sails on port side while the boat directly in front of me was on starboard, and we were both moving forward on the same angle!

Zippey was in the first start. We started pretty well. Zippey is a small boat and slower than most of the boats in her class but she held her own well as we went around the first mark in 3rd place.

As we came up to the second mark the wind died out. It took 15 minutes to get the few boat lengths we needed to round the mark. While we were coming up to the mark the 3 of us had looked around to determine the best tactic for the next leg. It seemed that what wind was available was in the middle of the lake. As we painfully slowly worked our way out there we watched as the entire fleet got close to the second mark and parked. A few of the boats even had to fend each other off with boat hooks because they were simply drifting without wind. It turned into a big party with cheers and singing.

After we had worked our way out to the wind in the middle of the lake it magically disappeared and filled in along the edges. We watched as most of the fleet slowly sailed passed Zippey. The next time around we determined to follow the racers we knew sailed in Lake Union often and went around the edge…the wind died on the edge and filled in the middle!

Zippey had a hard fought battle to get around her 5 buoys but she did it with grace and style. Shane, AJ, and I had a great time out on the lake and were grateful for the opportunity to help out in our small way those suffering from cancer.

I cannot wait until next year and am already starting to plan on how I can dress Zippey up in more Pink!