The long, stormy winters here on the Oregon Coast really separate the locals from the tourists. To put this in perspective, it has rained 68.86 inches in the first 9 weeks of this year and last week's wind storm topped out with gusts of 92 mph.
It is really helpful if you are an indoors introvert and like to read, do puzzles and generally spend time alone. For the more social, drinking (a lot) is another answer as people move from bar to bar on inclement afternoons to catch up with friends. Luckily, the town is small enough to walk between the establishments and then back home. Either way, along about this time, cabin fever has been known to set in.
With the tourists long gone and no one to harass, even the locals get a little stir crazy. You know, a little something to look forward to, thus the Annual Garibaldi Crab Races became the social event of the season. How I wish I had been there the night this wild jamboree was invented. Imagine the conversation at the tavern when the gauntlet was thrown down, "My crab is faster than your crab." "Say's who?" shouted from the other end of the bar.
As crab is plentiful during the winter, it didn't take long to gather the starting line up and the cheering (gambling) for the quickest crustacean followed. The crab are motivated by the fact that the losers will be eaten before the next round of racing begins. An excellent example of human's ability to adapt to their environment and utilize what is available. The crab didn't see it coming.
The winter sport took off and soon it became an annual tradition complete with colorful crab hats, exciting prizes and another reason to gather (drink) in the winter. So melt the butter and pour a beer, it is time for the Annual Crab Races as the weekend weather will be dark and stormy yet again.
Note: My apologies to the crab, luckily the sport wasn't invented by the local dairy farmers.
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