HAHA!!!

Well I tend to just keep looking at the weather outside, the 24hr forecast, the web cams - any means to get an accurate wind reading. Get to the venue, set up the correct rig and sure enough, not 10 mins before we hit the water the wind changes - blind panic, change rigs and hit the water!! In between those two stages its a general lay around, have a natter, drink Tea and general bimbling.

As for the kit bag - find all my sailing kit which is usually in different parts of the house, lob it all in my bag, sit on the bag to zip it up and hope that ive remembered it all, grab a drink and lob that in too!

You cant beat a bit of Beach Boys

Night before:

Find the nearest, bar/pub/club and consume a very large amount of beer, sambucca and whatever else i can get my hands on... Get kicked out of drinking establishment at closing time, try and find the nearest kabab house whats open at 5 am..

Morning of racing:

Wake up not sure of where you are and how you've got there also note the terrible hangover you've developed. Check the time....crap was supposed to leave an hour ago! Through all the kit you can find into the nearest sailing bag, throw it down the stairs, and walk bindly to the kitchen for a pint of water.

Pick up sailing bag, walk to car, put radio 1 on or nearest rock/indy cd.... On route to club find a roadside sandwich bar and order the biggest Bacon, Sausage and egg butty you can and a coffee....arrive at club walk to canteen order another big sausage bacon and egg butty, more coffee and another pint of water...

Rig boat, get changed launch into plenty of breeze, as the first gust hits you and you take a swim due to being far too drunk to react to it, make a mental note that you should probably drink less next time!

And for any of you coppers out there - you can see Hoppy dirving a *********

But of course, sailing is THE best cure for a hangover

wake up stupidly earlie have a shower. toilet. then get the kit together normally ring round and see of i can blag a lift or some kit.

then get there groan alot from my hangover race then just get peeved

burnham week went a little like this....

finish house party at around 7am each morning, get a solid hours power nap, then stroll on down to tesco get sausage roll for lunch.  consume sausage roll on walk to pontoon, get on yacht, find kit lying in wet heap, hoist sails, set off and call for the flagen of scrumpy to be brought up on deck for pre start manouver at 9am.  best weeks racing in a long time!

forget to sign on, then leave the boat at the top of the slipway with a topper sailor in charge of not letting it blow over cos ive already pulled the sail up, while i run up to the club house to sign on, then forget to get the course, and get that shouted to me on the start line.

For me it's - get there early because i always seem to be late to the line, rig, spend ages fielding questions from people about the boat; yes I have to rig it on it's side, no there's no halyard, no the foils don't come up, yes it's wobbly, yes the water's cold, no you can't have a go; get to the start line late vowing not to let people distract me so much next time

It's probably something to do with the boat.

Mark's kit (contender443) tends to look like that too, with tons of crud at the bottom of the bag (bits of rope, electric tape, old shackles, half of the beach and other non identifiable items that get hosed out at the end of the season).

Oi that's not true. Like any good sailing wife you wash iron and fold all of my sailing kit, then repack it in my sailing bag. This you then take to the sailing club, take the cover off my boat, do any necessary repairs, put it on the beach and rig it.

Then before I arrive you have a bacon sandwich and cup of coffee waiting for me.

Sorry guys she is all mine and not for hire.

p.s. I am now a dead man, BNS is a widow and she is about to inherit one brand new Contender.