A Very Quick Sail!

Our new hangout when we can't sail and need our fix - the cockpit!

Another great weekend was had, although it didn't go quite as planned.  Ken and I had planned on spending the weekend sailing, but it was just too windy. On Saturday we drove a few blocks from our house to take a look at the lake, and it was rough with white caps and the waves going in all directions.  We decided sailing wasn't a good idea that day, and after watching the weather we figured an early morning sail on Sunday would work.  We boarded Nirvana and headed into the lake around 8 in the morning.  The conditions didn't seem too bad, but after passing through the Hwy. 11 bridge and entering the larger part of Lake Pontchartrain things quickly changed.  The wind was really blowing and just like the day before, there were white caps and the water was sloshing around as if in a bath tub.  Again, we were reminded of how this shallow lake can get rough and uncomfortable in windy conditions.  Since we were already in the lake, we decided to raise the sails and give it a try.  However, it didn't take long to realize that the wind was too hard and the waves too choppy for a comfortable and fun day of sailing. So, I pointed Nirvana into the wind and Ken pulled the sails in.  When we watched the news later that day, we heard that the Mandeville triathlon nearby had cancelled the swimming portion of the race due to the high winds and waves.  It was said that the winds were about 25-30 miles an hour, although the morning we headed out the weather said the winds were going to be 6-8 mph!  Boy, were they wrong!

Anyway, we still made the best of things by getting some more work done on Nirvana.  I spent the entire Saturday scrubbing the inside of our sailboat from the tip of the v-berth to every little nook and cranny of the aft cabin, salon and galley.  We've had Nirvana for almost a year and half (already?!) and this was the first time that she had a really good cleaning inside.  I hate to admit that it took so long, but after an entire bottle of 409 she is finally clean and disinfected!  Meanwhile, Ken finished up some lingering teak work and by the end of the day we were convinced that things had worked out for the best.   

When we arrived home after a failed attempt at sailing on Sunday, we hung out for a while then moved into our sailboat's cockpit for the afternoon.  Our neighbors probably think we're nuts, but we've found ourselves in the cockpit behind our house quite a few times.  We turn on some tunes, bring out some wine for me, some beer for Ken, and whatever snacks are handy.  Then, we just kick back and relax while watching the ducks, birds, fish and boaters.  Not a bad way to spend the evening!

Next weekend is a crawfish boil on Easter Sunday.  We really hope we can find the time to sail on Saturday, but we'll have to wait and see.  Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!