Race Day!
I wake up early on a Saturday morning, probably 6 AM, occasionally earlier and occasionally later, by taking some deep breaths while I lay in bed, then I hop in a quick shower. Typically, a cold water finish. Brutal now, but I’ll feel warmer later when out on the water. Of course the cold water now will hopefully make me be a bit more awake then too. Upon exiting, it’s time to shave. This is the best time to shave because the hair follicles have softened from all the water and steam.
Unless I have a little beard going, I like to shave before races because it just makes the use of sunscreen both easier and likely better. Trying to put on sunscreen over a light beard has never worked well for me. I obviously use my Albatross safety razor(s). I run a shaving company and so I keep all 4 of our varieties in my bathroom because I want to maintain some sort of finger on the pulse of the experience of using each of our razors. Anyway, I choose one, load a blade, and lather my face.
I begin to shave, and this is an important part of my morning ritual. It’s a couple minutes of looking at yourself in the mirror– concentrating on shaving, and also thinking about the day to come. What are the conditions like? What am I going to wear? Who is on the crew today? I finish shaving, dry my face, and if I have any sunscreen nearby might even apply a base coat– after applying some of whatever nice lotion my girlfriend has at the moment. She gets nice things so whatever she has will work just fine!
Before we move on, I should mention that this whole time I’ve had a very specific “sailing pre-game” music playlist playing on my phone. It was even playing while I was in the shower. Anyway, time for some coffee.
Coffee is one of my favorite parts of the morning, the only thing is that it does make you pee a lot once you get to the boat. C’est la vie. You’ve got to walk a fine line with how much to drink. It makes for a good system for naturally balanced intake. Did I mention I love coffee? Anyway, it doesn’t have to be fancy, just done right.
Get the kettle filled with water and start it on the fire. 3 scoops of whole beans into the grinder. Wake my neighbors up at 6:15 AM on Saturday morning– Part 1: turn on the grinder and grind baby grind! Stop. Pour the grinds into my french press. Finish up other loose ends while I wait for the water to boil. Wake my neighbors up at 6:15 AM on Saturday morning– Part 2: the kettle is a’whistlin. Get to the kettle, turn off the stove, let the water cool just a little, pour and wait. I have a long drive to get to the boat so I fill my to-go cup and that’s kind of all you get. I do like cream in my coffee. Honestly, if I had to rank my top 3 favorite types [of coffee-cream like substances] it would go like this: 1.) Unsweetened Flaxseed Milk (the + Protein type) 2.) Cream 3.) Milk.
If I’m particularly hungry I eat something, but usually I can manage to at least wait until I get to the boat and claim half of a day’s typical rations, or half a sandwich. As I get close to the marina I prepare for a great day– happy that I got to listen to my music, fresh from a nice shower and great shave, and satisfied to have enjoyed a good cup of coffee.
I see some friends on the docks. See the rest of the team on the boat. It’s Race Day!
I’m Ready!
Let’s Go!
My morning rituals have made me feel great and I can’t wait to start sailing!
