A few weeks from now will be my two year anniversary of my first sail. I was sucked in as a couch sailor for about 5 months before hand, reading all I could and dreaming of open water and fresh wind. I think I've come a long way, but boy do I have a bunch to learn. My experience on the water has been mostly tied to Snake River, in light variable winds, going slow and pretending I knew what to do in every situation. Lesson's on the water are in abundance though, as I discovered this past weekend.
Now comes the Alex Bell Regatta. Day 1 weather; sunny, 75 fahrenheit, a variable breeze over 10 knots (my guess) gusting to 15 knots (at most, still a guess) out of the West to North Northwest. The marina is so poorly maintained that I can't drop my keel (5.25 ft draft) until I'm in the channel, and getting out without grounding my rudder (3-4 ft draft) can be a challenge, and with the wind blowing dead ahead from our launch and no motor currently, I had to ask for a tow. Once in the river, I cruised for a few minutes while Amanda locked the keel in place, then we jibed to head back towards the other racers. Sadly, that was the last maneuver that I could perform, as the metal connector for the main sheet popped out and dropped into the cockpit. Lucky for us, the wind was sending us home, but I was not in the cheeriest of moods. We dropped the jib to slow ourselves a bit, and as we came in I started to drop the main as well. Lucky for us, we bottomed as we approached, giving me time to finish dropping the main. Then it only took a little cranking on the keel winch and we were free, and under bare pole made it slowly to the dock.
 |
| The mainsheet no longer attached to the boom. |
I was emotionally done for the day after that fiasco, even though it was obviously not a big deal (post-incident minded words), but another sailor friend had a different opinion on what I'd be doing the rest of the day. After the completion of the first race, my friend returned to dock and picked me up so I could steer for him. Amanda stayed in White Raven and read, but I couldn't contrive a reason not to go, so out into the blow I went. I'd never been on an Aquarius 23 before, and it was quite a nice boat interior wise and handled well. I was a little skeptical of the hole in the cockpit, where the rudder dropped in, but I got over the occasional visit by the river around the rudder box perimeter.
 |
| Aquarius 23 on a broad reach |
It seemed I wasn't the only one to have some problems during the day. It's been a long time since I have seen real wind while I sailed, and I think the same went for everyone else. I can say for certain that I have not heeled like I did in the following two races. We cruised around 25 degrees most of the windward legs and with gusts hit 35 or more. I think the life line rails seem to enjoy their frequent dips in the frigid water. The thing I found really amazing was how my buddy handled the boat by controlling the main sheet. In all my reading, I must have glanced over the whole concept of controlling heel to windward with the main. He had me hold my heading as the gusts rolled in (I swear I did my damndest), and he would spill wind by loosening the tension on the main sheet as we heeled excessively. My comfort level seemed to rise as the day went on too, even if I was standing on the far cockpit seat wall. After I had it firmly affixed in my mind that I wouldn't tip over upon heeling, I really started to enjoy myself.
 |
| San Juan 21 with one reef in the main |
We may have even been able to win a race if I could have held a course. We were close to 3rd place at one point, though neither of us realized that there was still a lap to go, and our mistake cost us our lead. I have never been very competitive when it comes to sailing, but I like the practice racing offers. The cruisers in the club don't often make it down to the river, whereas the racers come out year round. It may have been only a few hours sailing, but I feel like it redefined so much for me. I think that is the most appealing part of sailing, the never ending learning. I may hate the project lists, with mainsheet connector recently added and nothing removed, but the thrill of harnessing the wind and waves makes it all worth wild. Just about two years down and still so much to learn.
 |
| Tim and Jeff rounding the last mark |
We missed out on Day 2, but from what I hear it was dead calm. As for photos, I grabbed a few after we had returned to the dock and Amanda picked up my slack while I raced. I was sad that I left the camera on the shore, but I'll remember it the next time. There is plenty of more sailing to do, springs barely upon us (or at least it feels that way). We might even head to do some saltwater sailing in two months time. I have to make my way through that projects list though if I want to go, with the motor and adding reef points to the main sail at the top right now.