So OK you caught me. I would like to thank the dozens of Blog followers who have contacted me to tell me that is is impossible for the RSO to be in the LBC.
I have several "confirmed sightings" closer to home in Millers and Muddies and the Dinghy Dock and Muddies again and the Dinghy Dock again and also on Alice's Sundeck so it couldn't possibly be him.
Actually the hansom face you see on the header of my last post is Narrow Escape's California Host, Ben Smith.
Transpac have a tradition of matching each boat in the race with a local Host in Hawaii. It is also traditional for the Hawaii Host to organize a, usually impressive, Aloha Arrival Party at the dock head in the Ala Wai Basin, at any time of the day or night, when their boat arrives. The Hawaii Host turns out to be a great local knowledge resource to help grease the wheels of every little detail that needs attention after the race.
More recently, now that Transpac have a mainland base of operations in Rainbow Harbour, they have repeated that successful formula on the mainland side of the course and now assign each boat a Long Beach Host - Ben is ours - well theirs.
And what a Host! Ben pitches in with the work and facilitates all manner of problem solving. I understand that, through his connections at Cal Poly, some custom parts were fabricated out of "Lucky Aluminium" (some special alloy I guess). And as evidenced in the picture below (since they can not fall back on advice from the ROCK this time) he has not been afraid to get out on the boat to give the crew a few sailing pointers too!
And this just in from the LBC:
We had a great dinner at Shoreline Yacht Club
So it sounds like the fearless crew of Plan B will be very sorry to lose LBC shoreside crew Ben when they push the boat away from the beach in a very few short hours!
Everyone back home would like to join with the race crew thanking Ben for taking such good care of the Plan B crew in Long Beach!
Blogmeister
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