Bruised Ribs:

I had my second experiencing racing in the thistle. It was a shifty and windy day. I upgraded to the second position (i was in the forward position last time) and placed in charge of trimming the jib. Again, there was a steep learning curve, but I am becoming more comfortable using tell tails to trim or adjust the sails to reduce drag and optimize velocity made good (VMG) (the ability to corral all the forces acting on the boat to reach a point as fast as possible for those conditions). Things were going ok, when the boat made a sudden tack and my rib cage slammed into the leeward gunwale, as it became windward. For those who have never performed CPR on a human the next sensation will be hard to imagine, but I could feel by chest wall deform in a similar manor as would be experienced during chest compressions. The wind was not knocked out of me, however, and I had a jib to trim so I went back to work. It was not until the next day that I had a better sense of the damage done.

I am not sure if my ribs are broken or bruised, but one and half weeks out, sleeping has still been difficult due to rib pain. This has not stopped me from sailing, cycling and working. Hopefully this heals up soon. In the mean time I will try to take it a little more easy.