Missy home regatta! I got up late and with a slightly queasy stomach after our night out. It was 7:15, early enough except I spent a half hour rummaging around, trying to find my racing singlet. I just had my hands on it a couple weeks ago and remember folding it up and putting it away somewhere thinking, well I'll never wear this again....Eventually, I found the one I last wore in 2002 and, wonder of wonders, it fits!

At the club I was at least early enough to get a parking spot in the school lot. It's overcast and windy. Wearing shorts was a mistake so I'm glad I threw my Lulu Grooves into the bag as I was leaving. No camera for some reason, I'm not feeling up to taking photos. In fact, I'm not feeling myself today at all, which I put down to the wide variety of beer brands we were tasting last night. Too much mixing with Conor as brew-director!
I sat on a picnic table with Rachel, Tamlyn & Courtney while the midgets-juvis-parents got everything set up. You know how it is, we figured we were visible enough if someone wanted to put us to work. I was getting cold and changed into my craft long-sleeve and settled down on the front steps. K.C. arrived - just home from World Cups in Szeged and Duisburg. She did really well in K2 1000m and the K1 5000m - improving with each race.

I was entered in C4 with Eve, Chrissy & Krista. Ok, our practice felt about a thousand times better than our race but it was great to be back in the boat together. Krista is a strong addition on the left (while Jess is at naval academy) and Eve was wicked at steering. Chrissy had hurt her back the day before, doing C2. We asked Rachel if she could take her spot but she's pretty sure racing with a bad wing, sorry clavicle, was a bad idea (we all know that when Rachel's going down the course, she can't not race). Chrissy turned up just before the race and said she felt surprisingly loose so, after testing it with a few strokes in the p-pool, decided she could do it as long as she backed off if necessary.
As we were pushing off the dock, a peewee/bantam C2 that was supposed to be in the race ahead of us kept getting blown back into the dock. One of the juvis pointed out that they'd been trying to take it away for over 5 minutes and he didn't think they'd make it so the coach pulled them back into the dock.
We got down to the start, did a warm up and held back, waiting for the C2s but no boats showed up. The C4s were all there though. Judy T. laughed and said, "You're all so prompt. I guess we'll start this race." Even still, none of us were ready for the start and our first couple of strokes were weak. We pulled it together without ever getting a good, long stroke going and finished second to a Burloak crew. We dissected the race like we were at national team trials of course, and even though it bugged us to lose we decided coming second to this stacked boat that trained all the time wasn't a complete disgrace.

After that I wandered around visiting. I'd told Kyle I couldn't stick around for war canoe - was heading up to Sutton for Susi's "Being Bad BBQ" - but still had time to visit.

I just happened to be talking to Nancy B. as her son Alan came down the course in his first ever K2 race. I could pick him out without any prompting. He looks a lot like Nancy and paddles really well ( no surprise) . Nancy was pretty stoked. They have a mini for him to use at the cottage and he's clearly comfortable a boat.

The Ride for Cancer had been going by on the bridge for the past 45 minutes or so and I was waiting for the end to pass before I went to Starbucks. I didn't want to be dodging bikes as I crossed the road. Eve had gone down earlier on the chance that she could wave to her Uncle Dick who was doing the ride in Eve's name and that of another friend with cancer. She missed him though. He was close to the front and one of the first to arrive in Waterdown where the spent the night on their way to the Niagara finish line. I finally got my second misto for the day and a breakfast sandwich. I walked over to the bank machine by the post office - I wanted to buy some of the new missy gear - and then settled on the wall by the river, under the bridge, to watch the kids warming up and eat my breakfast.

An older couple went by, husband on a scooter, wife walking. They commented on how comfortable I looked and asked if I was enjoying the races. It turns out their son is a former paddler - Archie Chase. I recognize the name, he did quite well, and we had a pleasant conversation while the various boats went past. Geoff waved from a pale pink boat he'd borrowed to race - no lie, it's exactly the colour of the controversial "flesh" crayon from a crayola box set.

Eventually I said I'd better go since the war canoes would be lining up soon and I didn't want to be a jerk about not being in the boat but waving to them from the start line.

I had to pick up my keys and stuff from my locker and ran into lots of friends as I wandered back along the shoreline. I chatted briefly with Larry who was busy coaching. I checked my phone messages and found out that the bbq was cancelled due to a massive rainstorm they'd been having all morning. With no reason to leave and the war canoe already leaving the dock,  K.C. and I decided to go have lunch at the Pumphouse Grill. Eve came by and met us.

After lunch, I did finally leave and go home. I did not feel well at all. I went to bed around 3:30pm and except for a drink of juice at some point, I slept until 7:15 Sunday morning. Okay, this wasn't the effects of beer. I am seriously sick.