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A nice family sailing day...

3K views 22 replies 18 participants last post by  sailingfool 
#1 ·
Hey guys how are you? Many photos in this one.

Last Sunday, we had what I call, if I may, a perfect family day sailing, it was so good and nice I decided to share it with you.

I had arrived from Canada for Luis's birthday parties (he had 3), I spent Friday with both of the kids at the Lisbon Zoo, while poor Giulietta (she insisted) cooked all day friday and saturday for Luis big party at our house (later on that if I have time), and Saturday at Fred's club and runing errands for Giulietta. We had a big party for Luis at my house Saturday night so Sunday I decided to take the family out for some "R&R" as you call it in the US...

Saturday night we decided to spend Sunday at sea, as a famliy...Fred had semi-official races in Lisbon, so I drove him there in the morning by car, and then I picked up Giulietta and Luis at the house and we went to see Fred's race by boat and also to pick him up, as he likes to return home from a full day sailing his Opti, in the big boat..teaching me stuff...

Fred's best sailing buddy, Tomas was there, so we invited his parents, with whom we have been getting more often together with, to sail with us...

He is learning to sail in dinghyies, which he started later in is life, as he was a canoe racer all the time, and she had never sailed before and said she was allways sea sick (wich she never was as I gave her Dramamine before we set sail).

So here it is...the perfect sunday....off course, a whole bunch of excellent food cooked by my wife and a superb Grao Vasco Tinto kept us in the right mood.

Luis, now 2 years old, is starting to comunicate more and wants to participatein everything . At this point in life he is pretty useless at steering, maning the main sheets and keeps us at check all the time as he moves around, but..has, as all the babies, those moments when he just rolls his eyes and falls asleep..THANK GOD for that...

So here we go..

First of all, I really appreciate my wife and what she does and stands for all of us men in the house...she deserves all the rest and love we can give her..she didn't do a thing all day...she was "the VIP passenger", she was there to be driven by men...



So how did it start? Well, around 11 we arrived at the marina, the boat was almost ready, all I had to do was rig the (yukkk) dodger and the cruising sails, which we did before we set sail..here yours trully fight with a stubborn sheet...look at the wrinkles in that genoa....too much bag time...:p



Luis was (as a newly made 2 year old), very active and wanted to participate in everything...he would get in the way...but its the way I like it, and love it..its my boy...you know.....only if I could convince him to drop the pacifier...



Apparentely in the photo bellow, and according to Giulietta, he was saying something about the main sheet, and fish and sea gulls...but no one could understand a thing.



Here we do a "cool" thing, you know..the OK sign he learnt at school....



So off we went...I let my friend do most of the sailing..me and my "main sail man" Luis, did the sails...Giulietta relaxed and the friend's wife started to enjoy what would be an unforgetable experience for her.

Then...Luis needed (let's put it this way...he insisted in driving....or he would start crying, so we enduldge him) some wheel time, so he did just that...the kid keeps a ridiculous bad heading, he spins the wheels uncontrolably, has no idea where he is going, doesn't monitor the sails and compass and needs to work a lot in his attention span....







As you can see the weather was funny..very hot at sea, but over the coast was raining...we had a perfect breeze and temperature..

Then...keeping the good Portuguese tradition...the driver took a break to drink..a natural oranje juice for him...which he savoured in what he now refers too as his chair...(the companion way step, that his)..



AHHHHHHHHHH THAT FEELS GOOD HE MUST HAVE THOUGHT....



Dad and mum joined the new Skipper for a family photo...



He pissed everyone around because he wanted to do everything...even grind a which twice his size..(I have a video on him grinding, but the child labour commitee banned it)...



He then continued on annoying everyone on board...



THEN....out of the blue....he drops down...like a drunk man in an alcoholic sturpor....good thing we mixed some rum in his OJ...(in case I get accused of animal cruelty, I moved him to one of the beds as now I have installed the matresses, for Joel's visit.



We saw some of Fred's races, and then we entered the dock and docked by this thing here...who can tell what it is...it's by Fred's club.



We all went to to land to get Fred that was washing and storing his boat, and taking a shower...

And then we sailed the 12 miles back to Cascais, a beautifull end of the afternoon sail, from 5:40 pm till 7 pm, with all on board enjoying a warm end of a perfect Sunday...

The kids meat the rail...



the played spitting contests...



I enjoyed my time with the family that I love so much...while doing THIS!!!



and my dearest lovely Giulietta...did...NOTHING but smile....



Any way...that was my day in the family...thought you'd like to see it...

Take it easy

Alex
 
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#4 ·
Gui...

I'm glad to see Luis gets his sailing skillz from his father. :) :p :D

Then...Luis needed (let's put it this way...he insisted in driving....or he would start crying, so we enduldge him) some wheel time, so he did just that...the kid keeps a ridiculous bad heading, he spins the wheels uncontrolably, has no idea where he is going, doesn't monitor the sails and compass and needs to work a lot in his attention span....
 
#5 ·
"the kid keeps a ridiculous bad heading, he spins the wheels uncontrolably, has no idea where he is going, doesn't monitor the sails and compass and needs to work a lot in his attention span...."

That was really great, thanks for sharing it with us. I think you should start calling Luis "Magellan".:D
 
#9 ·
Your a lucky Man

Giu...Thanks for sharing...always nice to have you back around....I see you could not stay away from us for too long...:D
 
#15 ·
"We saw some of Fred's races, and then we entered the dock and docked by this thing here...who can tell what it is...it's by Fred's club."

Isn't that the monument to Prince Henry the Navigator (as he's known in English). BTW - I've never been to Portugal unfortunately.

Alex: Love that blue dodger. ;)
 
#18 ·
Wonderful shots.. wonderful family, fantastic day. Thanks!
 
#21 ·
Big surprise Fred... your dad likes taking photos of his sons. :)
 
#23 · (Edited)
Alex,

welcome back, thanks for sharing such a lovely day with us. You are fortunate that your wife bears with your boat foolishness, let alone is happy to spend a full day on it. My wife won't go for a day, and no "VIP passenger" designation would trick her otherwise.

But I gotta ask (there's always something...), WHAT is with that Alinghi cap!!!!!!!! We all know you have a very attractive, custom Giulietta hat to use instead. Or did you lose it overboard already?

Anyway, can that cap! You are consorting with the devil by wearing that hat, and you should be embarassed. Next thing we know you'll be sporting a French tricolor cap...Alinghi and the madman who funds it has ruined the America's Cup, a race that otherwise had continued quite well for more than 100 years. They are evil, and you must cast them out. In fact, let's see a hat burning ceremoy - get it on YouTube and we'll email the link to Bertarelli.
 
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