Saturday morning we woke up early to wash the deck and cockpit of Nirvana and then go sailing! Again, the weather forecast was wrong and it was looking like a beautiful day. We headed out around noon and our friends, Ted and Jeannie, came along. Once we were on Lake Pontchartrain with the head sail out we quickly realized that it was way too windy to have our large head sail all the way out. The wind was blowing hard and the waves were pretty high. We were enjoying this, but the sailboat started becoming hard to control. We turned the engine on for more control, and Ted started pulling in the head sail. This wasn't easy to do, as the wind was really fighting us. I was at the wheel and Ted kept telling me to "fall off", which was easier said than done! ("Falling off" means turning from the wind instead of into the wind). The head sail got caught on something, and Ken had to walk up front to fix the problem. I was a little nervous, as Ken didn't have the right kind of shoes on and the lake was really rough. This was so much different than the day before, when we had to motor Nirvana home! Ken was able to release the sail and Ted was able to roll the sail in. We decided that it was best to go back to the canals of our subdivision (Eden Isles), as no other boats were out and we didn't feel like taking a beating! So, we motored along the canals and made the best of the day. We know we need to practice sailing, but not on such a windy day just yet.
Since it was 4th of July weekend and I was excited about finally having our sailboat home I thought I'd wear a patriotic swimsuit to celebrate! On Sunday, July 4th, we barbecued at a friend's home on the water nearby and then we came home before dark so we could sit on Nirvana and watch the fireworks from our own backyard. We wished we could have sailed, but overall it was a great weekend!
Ken and I are anxious to start getting some sailing practice. Maybe this upcoming weekend?
Hasta luego ... until then. Mid-Life Cruising!
Posts
9 comments:
I don't know anything about sailing. Absolutely nothing. Lots of work I know that, well boats are lots of work.
I'm glad you got Nirvana home safely and with no damage or injuries.
I love your bikini a lot. Very patriotic indeed.
Have a terrific day. :)
Thanks Sandee! Yes, I still have a lot to learn about sailing myself. I'm realizing that going slow (even with the motor on) takes away a lot of control. With our Bayliner we just "took off"! We're enjoying it, though. Can't wait until we're no longer rookies. =)
Hey Ken n Cheryl! Great blog, great plans, great everything! I dropped in via a link from my blog-bud Darryl, who runs the Barco Sin Vela blog. Darryl did an Atlantic crossing in his sailboat with his wife... from London via Portugal and the Caribbean... and wrote it all up.
Your adventure is fascinating. I'll be back!
Thanks Buck! We're actually new followers of Barco Sin Vela, and really enjoying their blog. They have a fascinating past, and exciting future that we look forward to following.
We've been surprised at the innacurate weather and wind forecasts. All day long we'll hear East Winds at 5 knots and experience SW winds at 15 to 20! Not helpful to a sailor!
Love the swimsuit!!
Thanks Laura! Yes, we were surprised how windy it was when we tried to go out for a sail this past Saturday. You can never rely on the weather forecasts around here, and like you said, not good for us sailors (or in my case rookie sailor).
I am so jealous that you can keep your boat in your yard. Sigh.
Re rolling the job--we have problems a lot with that! it is a great convenience but can be problematic. One time we started a race in great weather and the two of us were in shorts and tees. By the time it ended it was blowing like snot and rough and COLD of course and the jib would not roll up. we finally had to drop the jib and I sat down on the foredeck in my shorts and tee and got soaked and frozen trying to drag the sail down. I felt sitting was safer than standing in the conditions though. Definitely have to be prepared for the unexpected. Of course we had other clothes but who had time to put on more with just the two of us aboard? this was on our Catalina 320.
Yes, we are fortunate to have our sailboat in our backyard. When the water pump broke we were able to wait until we were docked before tucking the main sail away under the canvas. Do you still have your Catalina?
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the finest websites online. I will highly recommend this web site!
Post a Comment