This article was originally posted to SlSailing.com on Feb 22, 2009
Tako Toreadors
Today Saxxon Domela announced the final schedule for the Mowry Sprints Regatta set for March 7, 2009.
Mowry Sprints
March 7 2009
Schedule
12:00 Live Music: RockPianoman 12-1:00
12:15 Skippers meeting at the Cloud
12:30 Jacqueline Trudeau Introduces her newest creation
12:35 ACC Boat Parade
12:44 Fly Over
12:45 Racers Rez
12:50 Practice Starts
1:00 M-Sprint #1
1:10 F-Sprint #1
1:20 M-Sprint #2
1:30 F-Sprint #2
1:40 M-Sprint #3
1:50 F-Sprint #3
2:00 Finale Participants Announced
2:05 Finale
2:15 Awards in Saxxie’s Shop
2:20 Party on
2:00-3:00 Live Music: Oldwolf Criss
Tako Trouble
A good deal of controversy accompanies the Mowry Sprint Regatta. This will be the first interclub competition since the 2006 SLSF Cup and some have argued pretty strongly that contests that pit club against club are divisive and inappropriate. Frankly, I disagree. I think it’s about time.
In 2006, The Second Life Sailing Federation announced the SLSF 2006 Cup. The Cup Committee consisted of Course Director Al Kaiser, Event Director Myrrh Massiel, and Race Director Oliphant Ming. It was a remarkably ambitous and carefully detailed event; even the race charts were works of art. The Cup competition was divided into Team Trials, Challenger Acts, and a Final Match series between Challenger and Defender. Each Yacht Club fielded a team, and competing boats were crewed by 2-4 sailors each, with one serving as captain and another as tactician.
The event had high visibility and strong Linden support. Four new, full sims were added to host the Challenger Acts and final Cup Match races. In tribute, here are the teams that hit the water that summer:
Flappy’s Marina and Yacht Club (FMYC)Al Kaiser – Sail Number 21
Flapjack Spatula – Sail Number 22
Ali Akami – Sail Number 23
Sally Lemay – Sail Number 24
Arrekusu Muromachi – Sail Number 31
Cubey Terra – Sail Number 32
Kanker Greenacre – Sail Number 33
Myrrh Massiel – Sail Number 34
Jamey Sismondi – Sail Number 41
Sky Seattle – Sail Number 42
Lillie Guildenstern – Sail Number 43
Tasha Kostolany – Sail Number 44
Starboards Yacht Club (SYC)
Faykin Odets – Sail Number 51
Cory Copeland – Sail Number 52
Cutter Rubio – Sail Number 53
Drift Monde – Sail Number 54
Vagabonds Yacht Club (VYC)
Oliphant Ming – Sail Numbers 11
Skippy Spatula – Sail Number 12
Theodore Polonsky – Sail Number 13
Pixeleen Mistral – Sail Number 14
The names on the above list should be familiar even to casual SL sailors; they were the giants of SL Sailing legend who built this group into a diverse, multifaceted community, something far more than a ‘computer game.’ How giant were they? well, just to give you one example, while jamey Sismondi was the unbeatable king of speed under sail at Mowry that summer, his other fun project was to produce a complete solo recording of Samuel Butler’s translation of Homer’s Iliad ( cough… and which Greek Classic did you work on last night?).
Actually, I don’t think they make Renaissance avatars like Jamey anymore… They’re banned under the new LL Openspace Sim policy, I’m pretty sure.
Pixeleen Mistral published a partial summary of the issues at the time in the Second Life Herald, conveying some of the sense of frustration the sailors and organizers were experiencing. The races were delayed a week, but the full race schedule did go off according to the rules and the cup was enshrined at Kazenojin Seiringu. Arrekusu Muromachi’s winning boat was reverently decommissioned, put up om blocks, and prominently displayed at the Cecropia Annex. In the months after, I saw her race a few times at NYC, in both Takos and Trudeaus. Each occasion, she blew us all away; there was no question Arrekusu deserved the Cup. I asked Glida Pilote today if the name Arrekusu Moromachi evoked any image for him. As usual, Glida cut to the essence: “A Quick Bugger… Furry, I think.”
