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FOCUS 4D April Saflors Cast off Season at Deer Creek ne canvas 'uan By Nan Chalat The sky above Timpano-go- s was alternately bright blue and ominously grey. The wind blew down from the snow-covere- peaks d across Deer Creek Reservoir in powerful gusts and there were white caps breaking against the distant rocky shore. In the middle of this blustery scene, a fleet of sailboats bobbed up and down near the' starting buoy for the first race of the season. The 10 minute horn sounded, racers synchronized their chronometers and checked their lines, the five minute.flag was raised and they began jockeying for position. Finally in a great powerful gust, they hauled in their sheets and were off. Deer Creek Reservoir in April is no place for the fair weather sailor. The wind, though regular enough to set your watch by, blows hard and cold and the water temperature hovers around 45 degrees. But in a climate where summer is just a fleeting season, April separates the armchair yachtsmen from the real boatmen. When the first winds of spring stir the tassles on their wool caps they start thinking about halyards and hull design. They wait impatiently for the ice to thaw while checking their sails and wetsuits for repairs. And before the last snow has disappeared, they are out on the lake claiming that the steady cold winds of April, unaffected by warmer thermals, are the best of the season. From a distant bank above the sailboat beach the sails of Hobies. colored Nacras and Windsurfers look like any regatta. other summer Cutting swiftly around the buoys, flying a hull and hiking out the captains of the vessels make it look like a cinch. One expects the spectators to be sipping cocktails along the shore and exchanging yacht club gossip. But upon closer inspection the scene is quite different. The people along the shore are bundled up in wool shirts and windbreakers and are anxiously scanning the race course for capsized contestants. A race official paces back and forth among the spotter? with a radio, which is used to notify the chase boat. Scott Olpin picks up the dispatch and points driver Kevin Maxwell toward the overturned boat. They speed . toward the crew explaining that hypothermia is a severe danger. Olpin estimated that an unprotected swimmer could only last 15 minutes in such cold water. The crew, which as it turned out includes Park City Planner Bill Ligety, admits despite the wetsuits that they are cold. They have righted the boat twice only to have a gust catch the main sail flipping the opposite hull into the air. They are frustrated but determined. |
