There are plenty of sensible times to go sailboat racing. Shortly after 10 p.m. is not generally considered one of them, which is precisely what makes Midnight Madness so much fun.
But before we could race in the dark, we first had to make sure we looked good doing it.
For the Parade of Lights, NSC’s harbour was transformed as boats arrived dressed in their after-dark finest, complete with colourful lights, creative decorations and crews ready to entertain. One particularly ambitious entry brought along a collection of Minions, proving that apparently even tiny yellow henchmen enjoy an evening on the water.
The parade gave those watching from shore plenty to enjoy before the fleet turned its attention from looking fabulous to sailing fast, or at least sailing in approximately the right direction in the dark.
At 22:05, the Midnight Madness fleet set off in an NNE wind of 8–16 knots. Echo Beach made the quickest trip around the course, finishing in an elapsed time of 29 minutes and 40 seconds to claim line honours.
Once the handicaps had worked their mysterious mathematical magic, however, it was Blue Zulu that rose to the top of the results, winning the After Hours Bowl with a corrected time of 30 minutes and 3 seconds.
The battle behind her was remarkably close. Jalapeno took second place in 31:50, with Echo Beach finishing third on corrected time just 13 seconds later. After racing through the dark, that is barely enough time to ask, “Was that the finish line?”
From the glowing harbour parade to the final sprint home, Midnight Madness once again delivered the particular kind of fun that happens when sailors are encouraged to decorate their boats, stay up past their bedtime and race under the night sky.
Congratulations to Blue Zulu, Echo Beach and all the crews who took part, and thank you to the organizers, race committee and everyone who came out to watch and cheer.
If you missed it this year, make a note for next summer. Decorate a boat, gather a crew or grab a good viewing spot on shore. Costumes, lights and small yellow movie characters are not strictly required, but clearly, they don’t hurt.
Submitted by Annaliese Cassidy.
Full results.
See the original Midnight Madness post, with the instructions and Parade of Lights course.
