Left the dock at 6:45 with light SW winds. Sailed out to the SC Mark and back on a beam reach with top speed of 5.7 knots. Had another beautiful sunset...
Back at the dock at 8:50.
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Another pic
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Dorothy, Alaina & I took advantage of the steady breeze we've been having lately and headed out for a sail at 7:30 this evening. The sunset was nothing spectacular but was enhanced by sailing offshore. With a steady ESE breeze of 10 to 12 knots, we were making 6 to 7 knots on the GPS. Alaina helped raise both sails and she is eager to learn how everything works. We made it out past Marker #1 before heading back on a nice downwind run at 7 to 7.5 knots. On the way back, we saw a mother dolphin with two calves and enjoyed the moon sparkling in our wake. We tied up at 9:45.
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This afternoon, Dorothy & I sailed with Adrielle and the grandkids. We left at around 1:30 and sailed offshore 'til we saw thunderstorms coming up the Gulf from Naples at around 4:30. We had a nice sail and all enjoyed ourselves except Cassidy whined about the boat healing too much. Eventually, she got over her fear... I learned not to stand on the aft cabin top while sailing wing and wing: a sudden jibe of the main tried to throw me overboard but I dodged the boom and mainsheets. I also learned not to try to force-jibe the main without wearing gloves: I pulled the main over to the starboard side but before I could let it out enough, a gust took it back to port while I was holding the sheet. It happened so fast, I got a minor rope burn before I could turn loose. I lost my hat overboard while furling the main so we had a quick man overboard drill to retrieve it. Almost got it on the first pass and Adrielle got it with the boat hook after I backed up to it. That hat needed a bath anyway...
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Dennis & I rolled out the jib on Saturday but could barely call that sailing. On Friday, July 16th, Dorothy & I waited for a fast moving thunderstorm to blow by and then took off for a test sail at around 2:00 PM. We motored out to the Gulf which only takes 15 minutes from our dock. The SE wind was around 10 knots & we sailed close hauled at 6 to 6.5 knots. I found the boat easy to tack and jibe and was able to sail her wing & wing without using a pole. At this point the wind picked up to 15 knots and we were doing 7.5 to 7.9 on the GPS. We were back at the dock at 4:30 PM and happy to have finally sailed Salty Daze after spending our first two months with her in the boatyard.
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Alaina, Dorothy & I celebrated with Champagne with chips and fresh made guacamole in the cockpit this evening.
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