: >Hi!!!!!!! I don't know if this is the right group, but I'm looking for
: > more information
: >about the Mr. Bob fan club!!! I know you talk about someone named
: > Bob here.
: >The Mr. Bob I am talking about is this gorgeous guy with the sweetest
: > smile in the
: >whole world, and he always smokes a pipe.
That's "Bob," all right.
I first met "Bob" at the 12 meter world championship regatta in Newport
in '72. He was calling tactics on board _Golden Slack II_, and selling for
North Sails. I was a young grinder on board _Weatherly_. During the final
upwind leg, our tactician saw a wind shift on the left side of the course.
We wanted to get over there, but _Golden Slack II_ was in the way. "Okay,
he's going to tack over to port, and when he does, we'll tack over him,"
our tactician announced in a confident voice.
From my coffee grinder, I could see "Bob" advising the helmsman. He was
kind of a small, weaselly-looking guy with thick glasses; I met him once,
said his name was "Stang." I now suspect their conversation consisted of "Bob"
giving Stang bogus stock tips, but such is the way of Slack. A bad swell
heaved into _Golden Slack II_, and I clearly saw "Bob" stumble into the
helmsman, turning the boat to weather.
Our tactician saw _Golden Slack II_ head up, and announced: "They're tacking!
Let's go!" Our helmsman shouted "Ready about!" and we began our tack.
Meanwhile, on board _Golden Slack II_, Stang was recovering from "Bob's"
mistake, and was turning his boat back to starboard, screaming "Get back
on starboard!" All of us heard the shout, "STARBOARD!" too late. We were
downspeed, and the "mistake" dummy tack caused us to finish 3rd in the
regatta, just behind _Golden Slack II_.
After the regatta, he sold me a full suit of kevlar tri-radial sails
for a J/24. I don't know why I bought them; the J/24 didn't exist at the time.
Everyone says that "Bob" surfs the Luck Plane. He does: in a Santa Cruz 70 on
starboard tack headed for another TransPac victory.
Watch for our soon-to-be-released book, "CHAMPIONSHIP SLACK: How anybody
can sell faster, smarter and win races."
--
Henry B. Messenger "The storyteller makes no choice
hbm@shell.portal.com Soon you will not hear his voice
Rev. Doktor L. Mark Rounding His job is to shed light
And not to master."
-- Robert Hunter
Original file name: SIGHTING.X1
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