One of the "events" on Thursday evening was a acrobatic performance in the rigging of the classic 1936 yacht The Blue Peter. Huh? I know. I said the same thing.
Turns out The Blue Peter lost it's mast during last year's Classics Race Week. This was some sort of dedication/performance/entertainment. Okay. This I got to see. At 8pm we headed down the dock to The Blue Peter.
There were a few lights placed on the dock and shining up into the rigging when we got down there.
This gal suddenly came out of the boat in a sparkly leotard and quickly shimmied up a halyard. Now when I say quickly, I mean quickly. A monkey in the zoo couldn't have done it faster. She then proceeded to preform a routine that would rival any Cirque du Solei act - sort of her own Cirque du Solei Old Boat Rigging act if you will. No net, no safety line, no assistance. And she was no anorexic, teenage gymnast either. She was a normal, fit, healthy size woman. Perhaps she was a carnie in her previous life? Or a Romanian Olympic gymnast, teammate and BFF to Nadia Comaneci - remember her?
Anyway, she did some simply amazing moves. We happened to be standing on the dock by several fellow cruisers during all of this. It didn't take long for the smartass comments to start flying - quietly among us only. One cruising guy said "Wow. Amazing. Now quick, someone send her up a screwdriver so she can fix the windvane." Another said "Send her up some LED's. Hey, do you think she will come to my boat and change the masthead light?" Still another said "Yeah, that's great and all but can she tie a bowline." That last one might have been a female cruiser. After the performance, one cruising gal said "Now I am all fired up to go up our mast tomorrow and fix...whatever." I added "In your sparkly leotard?" And her husband said "Oh Yeah!" Cruisers!
This looks like Nichole Rhaab. If it is she is also a good sailor and from Overland Park KS. She raced with us several times last year, but alas none of us had a boat big enough for an aireal show.
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