Kaimusailing

I took the Hobie Cat out nearly every day, only taking a break when I was sore or the wind wasn't right. I was neglecting Kaimu's repairs. Then I started feeling guilty. If I didn't get to work on the big boat, I wouldn't be sailing it anytime soon.
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In comparison, the Hobie cat and the big cat sailed very similarly. The difference was that the big cat needed more room and more effort to hoist sail. Both boats benefited from backing the jib when tacking. This enabled the boat spinning around on a tack instead of getting “in irons” or losing speed and thus losing flow over the rudder, losing control.
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In the old days of square sails and clipper ships, it was nearly impossible to “tack” a vessel. The ship would lose way as it came into the wind, then it would stop, well before passing through the eye of the wind. The technique to bring the ship through the wind was called wearing ship. As the ship turns up into the wind the aftermost sails were shifted onto the new tack. Because the ship wasn't yet on the new tack, these sails would be “aback” and push the stern along following the original course. Soon the forward sails would be aback and push the bow over onto the new tack and off the wind. These forward sails would be shifted to draw on the new tack, the aft sails were already drawing on the new tack, and the ship would start sailing on the new tack. If it lost way while doing this maneuver, it would still spin around due to the wind pressure in the sails, pushing the stern one way and the bow the other. If it began to slide backward, the helm would be shifted to help bring it around. Often these old ships were shorter and fatter than the clipper ships and would have trouble even making a course with the wind forward of the beam. Bearing off and jibing to change course was standard procedure, but there might not be room to leeward to bear off and jibe. Wearing ship used less searoom.
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If you could imagine a large trading ship boiling along on a beam reach and having a lookout yelling “shallows ahead”, you could understand the sailing master telling the helmsman to “head to wind” or “helm down”. This would bring the ship into the wind, slow it down, and give the opportunity to take a reciprocal course away from danger without bearing off into what might be more shallow water, more danger.
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The new kids on the dock had acquired a Hunter 25 from C.R.A.B. and were doing maintenance on it, scraping barnacles, cleaning the hull, cleaning the interior, and generally organizing. C.R.A.B. is an organization that helps the disabled and impaired to go sailing. It organizes events, accepts donated boats, and sells donated boats, all with the aim of enabling those who otherwise would never get out on the water. The new kids also said they had read a blog by the son of the boat's designer, who was refurbishing that same model of boat.
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I tried to find the blog of John Cherubini, jr., the designer's son, but it took a lot of searching, jumping around on discussion forums, and googling, but I finally found it. Then I wondered, if he was so hard to find, what about my blog? I went through just as much trouble. It used to come up easily, just search for Wharram catamaran, but now things ain't so easy.
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I heard of a new social media website called tumblr, so I went to it and tried it out. I was thinking maybe I should move the blog to somewhere where it will be easier to find. I found tumblr to be difficult, unless the blogger's name or blog title were known. It appears that this new site is geared more to quick posts of pictures, links, or snippets of someone else's blog. It also relies on mobile social media, like facebook, to enable others to quickly find whatever you posted. It's interesting that the kid who developed it sold it to Yahoo for 1.1 billion dollars.
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I began the neglected work on Kaimu and stood over the hatchway leading down into the “saltmine”, the space I'd have to work in, in 91 degree heat. Then that rascal Precision 18.5 sailing dinghy came by, the one with the motor on it, the one that humiliated me last year when I was sailing the 420. I quickly abandoned the work project and rushed to get the Hobie Cat ready. Hoist the sail, paddle out against the breeze, begin tacking up the inlet. We must thrash the enemy!
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It took a while to tack up the inlet and work our way out to the bay. The wind was good, the little catamaran surged along in the gusts. The Precision 18.5 was nowhere to be seen. A smaller dingy scurried to the safety of shore when we came by. We were on a broad reach out into the bay at max speed. Where was that culprit?
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The wind on the bay was more steady and even stronger. As fast as the little catamaran zoomed out toward the ship channel, the hated Precision 18.5 came by on the reciprocal tack. Trying to run for it, eh? We headed up and tacked. We zoomed back into the inlet. The Precision 18.5 had started its motor and drove straight up the inlet while we had to tack back and forth. The wind seemed less consistent now. The smaller dinghy that avoided us before now was trying to sneak back to their dock. The Hobie caught another gust and zoomed by.
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I could see the Precision 18.5 up ahead, but it got away, the wind was very spotty inside the inlet. They got away this time, but retribution awaits them on the waters of the Bodkin Inlet.