Continuing Rockport's Tropical Christmas Weekend

So, now that you've had the tour of the cottage, we'll move on. Part of the deal for us was to be out of the cottage while all the visitors came, and to let the docents from the historical society, who were all dressed in garb from the 50's to the 70's, give the tours and tell the history of each of the historical homes. So Curt and I headed for Rockport's bay front where all the action was scheduled to be. As we passed part of Little Bay, we could see a great kite flying extravaganza going on. It was a perfect day: sunny, 72 degrees, and windy. (Sorry to mention the temperature to all of you up north. While you're shoveling snow, we're still swatting mosquitos down here!)

As we rounded the curve, we saw more...

...and as we got closer we could make out some of the shapes. There were all kinds of sea creatures, from sea horses to dolphins to sharks. Notice the band shell below, which we showed you up close a few days ago.

Then we wandered through the vendors all over the grounds beside the bay:

My favorite sight was the dance concert given by Kinetic Movement Center, a local dance studio. These little girls were doing such a lovely job dancing to Christmas music.

Note the kites still flying in the background. They flew for HOURS.

Then we took a loop through historic downtown Rockport, with the cute shops all painted in coastal colors:

....and suddenly it was time for the event Curt has been anticipating for weeks on end... The BELT SANDER RACES! Now, mind you, this had nothing to do with Rockport's Christmas celebration. It's something that occurs every other Saturday (I have lots more of these to look forward to). 

As we drove up to the Legends Saloon, we could see that the crowd was already gathering:

Looks like they've eaten their share of oysters here:

Entering the yard, we could see that it was set up like a real racing event. Oops, pardon me. It IS a real racing event....

....complete with hats and T-shirts for sale in a rainbow of colors:

Now here are a few facts for those of you who need to know:

The track is 75' long, and there are two lanes. The sanders run two at a time, just like a drag race. It's a round robin format, so each sander runs against every other sander in its class. 

Each sander runs inside a trough, so it doesn't jump the track (though that has been known to happen on occasion).

The sanders are plugged in and long extension cords run the length of the track between the two racing troughs. Each new set of contestants secures the extension cord to his/her sander with duct tape

There are two classes: stock and modified. The stock sanders have to be just as they come out of the box, with only the "outriggers" added for stability, and a fancy paint job if the owner wishes. In the modified class, anything goes. We saw one with a router motor in it, and heard about one with an electric lawn mower motor in it. You can do anything, as long as it fits on a belt sander chassis. Notwithstanding the duct tape cord fastener, these are amazingly sophisticated machines, highly engineered for power and speed, using a lot of the same physics principles employed in race cars. 

Each sander is given a name. Some are designed to intimidate other racers, and others...well, who knows?  A few we remember: Grain Maker, Grinder, Jolly Roger, Hard Iced Tea, Ol' Blue, Plum Crazy. Contestants may choose whatever grit of sandpaper they wish to race with, although 36 grit seems to be the most popular.

An announcer introduces each new pair of contestants using information from a sheet they've filled out. I did notice, that to the delight of the crowd, that the announcer does not hesitate to ignore the facts on the sheet and make up his own story about contestants now and then. Racers are a comfortable mix of locals and Winter Texans (other states call them Snowbirds, but we Texans embrace these visitors and they fit right in during the winter months).

The announcer sets up the pair of racers, but the race is started electronically with a row of descending lights from red to green (similar to the "Christmas Tree" in drag racing). When the green light flashes, the racers hit their switches and they're off. False starts are recorded electronically, and each racer is allowed only one false start per race; if it happens a second time, they lose that race. If there is a false start, the power automatically shuts off to that sander....so there's no doubt as to which sander false started. It's the one sitting dead in the race lane. 

Time is recorded to the 10,000th of a second. Race time, reaction time, and number of miles per hour are all reported. The stock sanders make the 75' journey in about 4 seconds, at around 14 mph, while the modified sanders do it between 2-3 seconds, and get over 20 mph. 

Enough facts. If you want to know more, you have to come visit us on a race weekend. Now for the event itself.

It started, as all good patriotic races do, with the National Anthem. All hats were off and everyone faced the American flag while a recording of The Star Spangled Banner played.

(Above) I'm not sure why that woman didn't take the football off her head during the National Anthem.... Oh, wait. It's the head of the man in front of her. Sorry!

Veterans were recognized, and the announcer thanked them for their service to our country and reminded everyone to keep our servicemen and women, and our veterans, in prayer daily. A nice touch, we thought, and one that reminded us that we are, after all, in Texas. Then the races started.

There were about 15 men racing sanders, and two women. Some people raced two sanders, one in each class. Things moved along pretty briskly; it was obvious they've done this for a while and have worked out most of the kinks.

Duct taping the extension cord and getting ready for the start:

(Keep your eye on the red and blue sanders in front of these gentlemen.)

Focused and ready, thumbs lightly on switches, ready to mash as soon as the green light flashes on:

And the sanders are GONE! These racers' thumbs are pressed into the switches with enough force crush an oyster!

Headed down the raceway...

From the other end, here come two sanders down the track:

....and the blue sander wins!

There's a great deal of joking, camaraderie, and friendly banter among the contestants, as well as lots of encouragement (positive and otherwise) from the spectators. 

This little guy is getting an early start, with lots of pointers from Grandpa.

One of the women racers in the background...

....and here's the other. I loved her shirt!

And here's what it's all about: the Winners' Circle!

Now these guys will spend the next 2 weeks tinkering with their motors and you can bet they'll be back at the racetrack on December 13th!

If belt sander racing isn't on your list of things to get excited about, come back soon for more of Rockport's Christmas weekend. There are some wonderful historic homes to show you, as well as other festivities. See you soon!