The opening evening is in the books at the PEI Brewing Company Closing Spiel. The Blue teams are leading by $6000 in Skins format curling play, after pulling off a fantastic $21,000 opening round, compared with only $9000 for the Reds. The second draw was closer, with Blue winning by only $2000, and Red came out ahead, by $8000 in the third round.

Note that a $6000 lead isn’t much in the high stakes world of Skins curling, and it looks like the Reds have figured out how to win, so it should be an exciting day two, with four end games in the morning draws, and six end games in the afternoon. There are burgers and sausages on the menu at noon, and lasagna for supper, so the competitors will be well-fed.

Here are some photos from Day One.

We learned that guards are extremely useful in Skins curling, but I think these teams may have taken the concept a bit far!

There was a lot of strategy and thinking needed to get a handle the Skins format, where you have to either score two points with the hammer, or steal one point in order to get the skin.

Things didn’t always go as planned. This guy is looking a little blue!

There was great entertainment off the ice, with Undertow in the lounge.

The bankers kept tally on the winnings, with the help of the DAFT Teller.

Meanwhile, back on sheet 1, these teams like lots of rocks in play, too!

Same story on Sheet 3, as Myrna tries to raise one in.

As usual, Angus and Lorianne were properly attired for the occasion.

Other highlights of the evening included punch, mussels, and tickets for PEI Brewing company’s liquid assets. The punch came in both Bev and Lance strengths.

Action resumes at 9 am, with the final day of our Closing Spiel. It’s going to be a time!