Labor Day Sail
02 September 2019
Mike Stern
Yesterday, Sept 1, Patti, Lily and I went for a sail. We had plans to sail today (Labor Day) with Dave, Jill and Maddy, but the weather is clearly not cooperating. So instead, the three of us went out.
Lily was not feeling so good, but she really wanted to go out. We brought or wore our bathing suits, but it wasn't that warm: low to mid 70's, and somewhat cloudy. The forecast was for light winds, but the flags we saw on the way were snapping in the breeze.
At the dock, it seemed the winds would be nice. Not too strong, but enough to give us a nice ride. Patti was feeling a bit more confident since the sail in Portland, so off we went.
Again, no problems leaving the dock. It became clear that the winds would be a bit stiff, so we decided to unroll the genny and sail that way. But Lily wanted to go faster (that's my girl!), so we raised the main too. I think I've finally figured out how to do it right.
We sailed out to the east, then southeast in winds of about 15 knots, with seas of about 2-3 feet. I thought it was great, but Lily's nausea wasn't being helped, so after about a half hour we turned around. The lazy jacks were a very big help in controlling the falling main. We docked without incident, then home to Mr. Dog and dinner. A short trip, but I'll take it!