first sail/last sail

Old Blue watching the birds while we roll up the sail.

We sailed! For realz! Sunday we took Old Blue out for her first successful spin, now that we knew how to properly attach the halyard to the upper boom.

The wind was light with some gusts, the sun shining, the air warm in the 70s, and boaters were out grasping every last bit of season before Old Man Winter kills the fun.

While it was great to see so many people out, however, this meant chaos on the club ramp. Not chaos, but people were gabbing while s l o w l y bringing their boats out of the water. And then park the club truck in front of us, blocking us from getting down the ramp. *sigh*

But we got to enjoy the comfort of rigging on a beach rather than the ramp, and readjusted the halyard several times before we set out. Once out on the water, we realized we need to shift the lower boom a bit (loosen the goose, rotate, tighten back up), because the mainsheet blocks weren't hanging  down but to the side. But the winds were easy enough, we weren't too worried.

I grabbed our older camera and got some shots and video, but then had to put it in, as apparently Maverick and Goose were piloting the motorboat that buzzed by us for no apparent reason and we had some chop.

The wind started dying and the sun was going down, so we headed back in at a toodling run. A sail kayaker and his dog were on a starboard tack, and the collie looked ready to jump out after all the birds landing in the water. But the Good Dog stayed with his master.

As we de-rig, we noticed a dark bank of clouds rolling in and the wind picking up. Another club couple were bringing their boat in, but as the wind came up, they turned around. I guess they couldn't resist that last rush of wind!

So, that was probably our last sail for the year. This week is too jam-packed for both of us, and this weekend we will be in another state at a wedding! Once we get both boats under one roof, we'll do an inventory of gear and list out parts and repairs and come up with a winter tinkering strategy.

BUT WE GOT TO SAIL!