Going It Alone

          There is a time in everyone’s life when you'll have to go it alone, whether we're talking sailing, growing up, or any of the multitudes of activities that can be single-handed, and I am happy I took the leap. I was hoping to have a crew for the race, but for the second race in a row, I had no one to help me man the ship. I didn't go to the previous race, but I wasn't going to miss another one. So yesterday ended up being my first solo sail in White Raven. Race three of the Frostbite Series, and there was finally a steady blow fighting the current in the courses’ stretch of the river. It was going to happen, I was going to take sole control of a boat with no chance of help if I needed it.

          The day started poorly; first I bottomed out while trying to drop my swing keel, then jammed the cable upon attempting to raise it. In that time, I thought the cable had snapped off the keel because it was so loose, but it turned out that while raising the keel, the excess cable wedged itself in between the winch gears. It was an easy fix after a short period of excessive disappointment and angered texts to my wife about breaking the boat as I launched it. I floated free and tied up the boat on the adjacent dock to finish setting up and to be able to drop the keel in a deeper spot. Everything else seemed to go fine. I attached my boom vang, raised all sails, and turned the motor on so that I could head out of dock dead into the wind. Tim, in his motorless San Juan 21, had a much more interesting way of getting off the dock. After pushing off and heading a few yards off dock, his head sail started to luff and he pulled a 180 back toward the dock (and an unsuspecting motor boat). With some amazing skill he avoided the motor boat and raised his keel just in time to skirt over the sandbar, heading out into the river on a broad reach. I wish I had my camera out; it would have been a sight to see.

          Once out into the river, I stalled out my engine trying to get it to idle. This may seem like a problem for most, but I am used to the engine acting up. I had added some fuel cleaner and was hoping it would do the trick, but alas, I’ll have to rebuild the carburetor. I set my sails for a beam reach, giving me plenty of water room to hoist my engine. With the engine stowed, I changed course and practiced running, jibing, and tacking. Sheeting and steering was much easier than I had expected, especially with our recent upgrades for White Raven. With the addition of cam cleats next to my genoa winches, it made sheeting in the sails much easier and I can lock them from the far side with my foot. This may not be critical with someone who isn't nervous about spending time on the lee side of the boat, but for me, the added comfort of staying on the high side is worth all the doubloons in the world. I had plenty of time to fool around, but the first toot of the air horn meant that I had to come back toward the starting line for the first race.

          The horns for the start of the five minute count down began and the rest of the group started fighting for a good starting position. I hung back and ended up crossing the start line about 2 minutes after the race start. It was a quick windward leeward course, one trip around the buoys and back through the start line. I am sure I tacked too many times getting to the first mark, but I seemed to hold my distance to the closest boat, so I was happy. After rounding the mark, I really lost pace. After realizing running was not a viable option, I switched to a broad reach to keep the sails full. I don’t have a whisker pole for the downwind portions, but reaching seemed to gain me some over the other boats that were running. I stayed in the shallow, currentless edge of the river, and as I approached the second mark, I had made quite a gain on Grace. Round the mark to a close reach and back into the current. I tacked once and sped towards the finish line. I crossed the line to the sounds of ovation; a round of applause from all the contestants for me completing my first solo race.

The other contenders (Left to right; Mary [on Grace], Tim, and Jeff).

Rounding the second mark.

          Race two went much the same. I was hove-to until about the 3-minute mark and then headed in to make my start. I joined the group as we jostled for a favorable start, and as the horn blew, I pulled off with a great position on the line. I kept pace for a while, but tried to maneuver around a boat that had right of way and lost my lead. Tacking twice I was able to get back up to speed, but I never caught back up. This trip was twice around, and after making it a second time around the first buoy, the wind died away. I was able to get out of the current, but eventually threw on the motor just in time to only hit rocks with my keel. Two boats finished, using the current to push them over the start line, but the heavier vessels (myself included) were not able to make it to the second buoy. All in all, it was still an exciting race and hopefully I grabbed some good video.

Hove-to before the start of race two.

           One more race in the series this coming weekend, and we’ll see how it goes. I am still elated with my first solo sail. I feel like my lines have been cast free and I can sail at my leisure now, no longer bound by the need for a crew. It may not seem like much, but it was a huge leap for me on a comfort level at least. My sailing experience may have only slightly grown, but I feel like there is no limit to what I can sail now… well, at least my range is growing.