From 9:30am until 11:30am very light winds carried us at a tame 3 -5 knots from Commencement Bay out and around Brown's Point.
We crept patiently along under only the power of the mainsail for the first couple of hours. Then, inversely proportional to our nautical ambitions, came the grim doldrums. The tell tales died, and drooped limp and lifeless as the waves from passing tugs tossed the disabled Martin 242 like a cat swats a spider across the linoleum.
We tried valiantly to catch a occasional breeze to haul us back to the marina, but finally, as a last resort, we were obligated to fire up the outboard to make our 2pm return.We finished the sandwiches and rehydrated as we hovered above the salty depths.
A curious sea lion kept an eye on us from behind the boat like a bashful mermaid as we sat lifeless and silent in the middle of the sound and then disappeared with revving of the engine.
Close to the marina, with about 40 minutes to spare, the wind decided to tease us again, so we trimmed the main, unfurled the jib and did circles around the bay until time ran out.
I had my father go head to wind. My wife furled the jib. Once the jib was snugged away, I asked my 9 year old son to lower the main while my wife and I flaked it over the boom. It was a confidence builder for both of them and I think they enjoyed taking an active role in crewing the boat.
Though we hoped for more action, the forgiving winds were the perfect opportunity to teach my wife the finer points of sail trimming and by the end of the day, she was comfortable on the mainsail and headsail. That's real progress, especially considering she was too frightened to even board a docked boat only a few short month ago.
Lesson of the day - when turning into the slip, do not simply drop the engine into neutral - it's not enough to completely slow the boat and keep it from bumping the the dock. Instead, hit reverse, gauge your decreasing speed (to avoid stopping short) and go to neutral to glide into the slip as gently as a wool sock into a boot. It is a far kinder thing to do fo the boat.
I wish I would have remembered to try increasing the draft to help our progress in the light winds. Oh well, it was good just to be on the water again. Unless something unexpected happens, I probably won't be able to get back out until my ASA 103 class in late August.
"We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho! Yo ho! It's a pirate's life for me..."
We tried valiantly to catch a occasional breeze to haul us back to the marina, but finally, as a last resort, we were obligated to fire up the outboard to make our 2pm return.We finished the sandwiches and rehydrated as we hovered above the salty depths.
A curious sea lion kept an eye on us from behind the boat like a bashful mermaid as we sat lifeless and silent in the middle of the sound and then disappeared with revving of the engine.
Close to the marina, with about 40 minutes to spare, the wind decided to tease us again, so we trimmed the main, unfurled the jib and did circles around the bay until time ran out.
I had my father go head to wind. My wife furled the jib. Once the jib was snugged away, I asked my 9 year old son to lower the main while my wife and I flaked it over the boom. It was a confidence builder for both of them and I think they enjoyed taking an active role in crewing the boat.
Though we hoped for more action, the forgiving winds were the perfect opportunity to teach my wife the finer points of sail trimming and by the end of the day, she was comfortable on the mainsail and headsail. That's real progress, especially considering she was too frightened to even board a docked boat only a few short month ago.
Lesson of the day - when turning into the slip, do not simply drop the engine into neutral - it's not enough to completely slow the boat and keep it from bumping the the dock. Instead, hit reverse, gauge your decreasing speed (to avoid stopping short) and go to neutral to glide into the slip as gently as a wool sock into a boot. It is a far kinder thing to do fo the boat.
I wish I would have remembered to try increasing the draft to help our progress in the light winds. Oh well, it was good just to be on the water again. Unless something unexpected happens, I probably won't be able to get back out until my ASA 103 class in late August.
"We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho! Yo ho! It's a pirate's life for me..."
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