Well what an interesting sail it was this evening!
Jon and I got out there this evening for our practice sail. Lovely sunshine, calm sea and a gentle breeze and so we sailed, role tacking, gybing, mark rounding, all good stuff. Then we were joined by William and Tara and we decided to have a bit of a race so we quickly sorted out a course and started the race.
Now the wind had dropped a little and there was this rather ominous dark cloud out to the west and as we made our way up the first beat, the wind very gently started to shift to the north (it had been a sou-wester).
Then this dark line appeared on the horizon, oh a bit of wind, ok that will be good. The beat quickly becomes a fetch, then a reach and all the time the wind is getting up.
I round first and tack off on Port expecting to continue to get headed and then tack to the 'new windward mark. Only the wind is still getting up and it is now upto a good 18mph and rising!
I'm thinking it might be smart to head in but I see that William is still heading away from the shore so I tack to go with him, as much for safety as anything else. Then he is out of view under my sail.
Mean time we are beating with the main spilling wind and she is creaming along. Next I see William is now down wind of me and heading in so I tack and start reaching in to the shore.
Now the fun really begins! What follows next is one screaming reach with spray going every where, I am constantly playing the main and spilling wind and the she is just skimming over the water at breakneck speed! The demented beast has returned! Man this is just great! I am half inclined to stay out a bit longer but I know that with no rescue boat about it would be foolhardy so we head in and call it a day.
Boy what a great sail! And the weekend hasn't even started!
1 comment:
Yeehow
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