Sailing away

Yesterday we chose sailing. I was wanting to see Rob's new furler gear in action, and the idea of sailing appealed to me more than the speed boat. As others agreed, we packed up sailing gear and went out in Rob's 27' Catalina. (Unfortunately, Therese wasn't interested in sailing, although she would have gone power-boating with us.)

It was not quite as hot on Friday as the previous day, and there was wind, so it was quite comfortable out on the water. The hazy overcast helped too. We left the house about 10 am, so probably got sailing about 10:45 or so. We motored out of Ladysmith Harbour and hoisted sails in a nice breeze - probably 8 knots or so. The new sails on Rob's boat are wonderful, and the furling gear is so easy to use!

Sailing is something I feel deeply in my soul. It is so much about the journey, rather than the destination. Even though much of my sailing experience has occurred in race conditions, where the outcome is important, sailing has always been, for me, about being in the moment. Where we are going is less important than how we are getting there: could the main be adjusted, is the headsail set for optimum speed, should the traveller be higher? etc. These are not huge issues when cruising, it's just fun to get the most out of the boat at that moment. And over all is the beautiful feeling of gliding through the waves and over the water, an affinity with nature that claims me on a sailboat, at any speed.

Yesterday we started out in low-medium wind, then had no wind and ended up motoring past Thetis towards Valdes, where we could see other boats had wind, whereupon we suddenly were close-hauled, traveller down, in 15 + knots of wind. Rob and I were enjoying it very much, but we decided instead of continuing to beat up around Thetis to go downwind, back the way we had come, to keep our passengers more comfortable - they didn't like the 15 degree heel. At the tip of Thetis we ran completely out of wind, managed to sail a little further on cats' paws, then were becalmed and forced to motor around Coffin Pt. and home.

A bonus for me in this sailing trip was that I was on the helm for most of the day, including bringing the boat into its slip (with the very necessary help of Rob on the engine, of course). I don't get to helm very often, so it was a real treat for me.

Today, Saturday, we are off, Nikki, Elsa and I, for our great adventure - a women-only weekend kayaking trip!