Wreckers Race and Key West Wrecking

Good Morning!

Today will find us in the first Wrecker's Race of the season. everyone is beautiful and ready for the action. Appledore's snapped shroud is sorta fixed and our centerboard is finally back in working order. Schooner Liberty has her topmost back up and we've all been praying for the specific sort of weather that would favor our own vessels. Appledore can skim along in lighter winds than we can. Her lines are sweet and foot for foot she is a better designed and balanced vessel. But stand back if you see us coming in a spitting wind and heavy seas. Whereas Appledore pitches up and down, Liberty Clipper drafts fourteen feet with her centerboard down and can drive along like a tank through weather. Imagine her bow just pushing that water aside, like a angry woman in a crowd just melting a path before her. The crew laugh with open mouths and are glad for something besides the captain demanding excellance in thier skills and presence of mind. The wind screams past the ears and if you were to lick your lips, you would find them crusted with salt. In a strong wind and rough water, there is no contention that we are the the cake, the icing and the party.

So, what is this Wrecker's Race? Some quick history is that Key West used to be the richest city per capita in the entire United States (1860's) Much of this existence came from the practice of 'wrecking'. It was the trade of both the poor and desperate and the wealthy and clever. Sometimes 'wrecking' was as innocent as saving people from a shipwreck and appropriating a few barrels of salt pork. Other times, marker bouys would be moved, misleading mariners onto the shoals, busting up thier boats or just getting them stuck. After that, you can legally pillage the ship under the (still alive and active) Pirate Act, which is a sorta finders-keepers type of law. 'Wrecking' kept the people of Key West alive and made the fortunes and comfort of many. Years ago my brothers and I listened to a book called 'The Wreckers' set in some part of Great Britian. The same thing was happening on the rocky coasts where villiagers would run above the cliffs with lights, making the ships think they were following the lights of another vessel. Red and green lights would briefly appear, just enough for the ship to be deluded enough in the storm to impale themselves on the rocks. One interesting note was that the villagers couldn't survive in that place without the goods gained from 'wrecking'. But enough about 'wrecking'; down here it's just a variation on going out for Saturday morning garage sales.

The Wreckers Race though, is in honor of the old races between local wreckers proving who could get to the shipwreck first. Unfortunately, this looks like a light and pretty day, catering to light and pretty vessels. Hold your breath and hope good wind for us.