A Great Sail with a Long-Anticipated Ending
01 October 2019
Mike Stern
On Saturday, we had unseasonably warm weather. Patti and I had planned to go for a sail - possibly one of the last of the season - but her work has recently overwhelmed her, and she had to get some stuff done.
Nevertheless, I didn't want to waste an opportunity, so I asked if David and Diane wanted to come out. They did, but couldn't make it until about 4 pm. So I went to the boat early, so I could pick up the toppling lift shackle (with the missing clevis pin) and get a replacement at West Marine.
I used my "surprise" gift card (I had found an old gift card in my dresser, and found that it had over $18 left on it!), and was back at the boat before they arrived.
It was breezy; very breezy. But another sailor had come back to the dock after a sail and said it was much breezier at the dock than out in the Sound. So I didn't really know what to expect.
David and Diane came aboard at around 4, and we quickly left the dock. I noted that it was about an hour until dead low tide according to my tide clock, but the depths on the chartplotter never got too low.
We motored out to the Sound, and it became clear that we had a good breeze. Maybe 12-15 knots. We raised sail: a full main and about half the genny. We headed a bit west of south, and took off at 5.5 to 6 knots.
Wow, what a great sail! It was sunny and warm, but not too warm and the wind was great. Seas were a bit rough, with waves maybe two-three feet. But this was just fabulous sailing. We heeled at between 5 and 15 degrees, so I don't think Patti would have loved it, but the three of us were quite comfortable. The O'day would have been a mixmaster in those conditions; the Catalina took it all in stride. What a boat....
We had to turn back relatively quickly as sunset was going to be at 6:35. We did a reciprocal course back. Not quite as fast, but still over 5 knots. On the way back, David got a bit seasick, a first for him in a long time. He held it together though.
According to the tide clock, it was just past low tide, but the depths in the channel were more than adequate. However, when we pulled into the fairway between C and D docks, we slowed greatly. My first thought was that my transmission had gone kerplunk. But I glanced at the depth readout, and it said "0.0", then "0.1". We were aground.... It was bound to happen sooner or later; I've been sailing for long enough. I'm glad it happened so close to the dock.
But by gunning the engine, I was able to push through. We got to the dock, and our neighbors rushed to help David with the lines. We eventually pushed our way to the right position, and tied up. One casualty of the process; the dockside line stand somehow got tangled with a fender, and the top of the pvc pipe thing broke off. Of course, I just threw it away instead of saving it to try and glue it together.
The three of us then drove home, met Patti and went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. What a day!
The end of the season is here. I've sent in my paperwork for the winter with a deposit.
With our approaching trip to France, I've decided that I'll have the marina winterize the boat this year. And I've told them to pull the boat the week of October 14 (we're leaving for France October 18). This means that at best, I'll get one more sail in. Sad, but still, this has been a great summer.