Get Me Off This Roller Coaster

What did I learn from last night's PHRF race on Narragansett Bay? Not sure yet. It was one of those light, shifty evenings that torture the fleet with upheavals of Biblical proportions. 

We were first. We were last. We followed a vein of wind to the left, only to get passed by boats from the right. At times, we were quick to respond to the shifts. Other times, we sat in a hole watching boats pass on either side. In the end, we wound up mid fleet, not sure whether to be thankful we weren't last, or disappointed we weren't first. 

So I don't know what I learned. Never count yourself out. And, perhaps more importantly, never count your opponent out, even when you just crossed them by half a mile. But I already knew that stuff. Who hasn't ridden the roller coaster of a fickle breeze? What I'd like to learn, I guess, is how to turn those ups and downs into one big up. 

Any suggestions?