* J/125, J/105 and J/100 owner Dr. Laura Schlessinger from Santa Barbara, CA
shared some of here experiences with Newport Harbor YC this past week
as a participant in the 2011 Cabo Race. Dr. Laura Schlessinger - who is
based in Santa Barbara, CA - might be best known as a nationally
syndicated American talk radio host. However, she has the sailing bug
big time. While having been largely committed to buoy racing, she first
ventured offshore nearly a year ago in a similar race to Cabo on her
J-125 (Warrior), winning overall in both ORR and PHRF. Here she comments
on the experience:" I did the Cabo race purely for the adventure. I had never been out on the open ocean and simply wanted the experience. By the end of the first day and one-half, I was cold, damp, exhausted and generally miserable. I clicked my heels but couldn't get back to Santa Barbara. Then, on the second and one-half day I got with the rhythm of it and can't tell you enough how much I absolutely loved it: huge turtles, whales, dolphin, the horizon with no land and no other boats - it was just amazing!
We followed the progress of all the boats on the computer and we were well behind our competition for most of the race. Ultimately - I didn't care that much because we all were having such a fun time with each other and with the elements. I would guess that if the amount of laughter aboard a boat won a trophy - we'd get it. On the last day I woke up from my four hour down-time to find zero wind. I did see a shark fin and wouldn't let anyone swim! We'd gone way out to sea and were totally becalmed. I decided I was the "wind witch" and would bring wind any moment now. They all scoffed at me - until I pointed to some tiny cat paws on the surface of the water growing larger in diameter. Suddenly, we started to take off.
The best part of the entire experience was that night when we were coming into Cabo. I was driving (that's my job) through the moonshine on the water. It was so beautiful I was crying. Believe it or not, I turned to my crew and suggested we forget the finish line and just keep sailing. I meant it - as strange as that may sound. I got voted down, so over the finish line we came. From the day I suggested we do that Cabo race, I never considered the possibility of winning. I just wanted the adventure. And this year, we are doing the Cabo race to qualify for Transpac-- talk about an adventure!" Read more about Dr. Laura's experiences here. Learn more about the J/105 sailboat, the J/100 sailboat or the J/125 sailboat.