[SecondWindNC]

As an inexperienced teen sailor, took a girlfriend out on a Balboa 20. Turned out she was pretty unsure about the whole thing to start with and spent most of the sail huddled in the cockpit sole wearing her bright orange life vest.

Then the weather turned ugly, quickly (doesn't it always?). She was unable/unwilling to hold the tiller for even a moment (as she had done while I raised the sails in light air on the way out), so I had no one to take the helm in order to get to the mast to drop the sails.

At that point she moved down below to get out of the rain and resumed cowering, while I did the best I could sailing the overpowered little weekender on its ear in the pouring rain, trying to make it back to our more protected creek where there would be less wind and I could get things under control.

Ultimately there was no harm done, although needless to say, that was her first and last sailing adventure. And I learned my lesson about crew: having somebody else aboard doesn't do any good if they can't at least steer the boat, and and I can't steer and be at the mast dropping halyards at the same time!