October Sailing Story

[GaryHLucas]

Originally Posted by bloodhunter

Barry,
I envy you -- sounds like you had a great sail. All we've had is rain down here in the Chesapeake and temps in the 40's and it looks like it's going to continue (sigh).
Just one suggestion, when you sail at night, especially singled-handed you should rig up a jack line and wear a harness so you're always attached to the boat. I use a two-part tether on short length for when I'm att the helm and the other longer for when I go forward.

Bloodhunter,
A few years back I had an invite to go sailing on a C22 on Puget Sound with a guy I knew from the C22 newsgroup. The day I showed up it was pouring rain at the dock and I figured that would be the end of it. He said "If don't sail when it rains I won't sail much!" He had two complete sets of heavy duty foul weather gear, sweaters, jackets, pants, boots, and waterproof gloves.

We left the dock in the pouring rain, at about 40 F. Were were out for six hours, and sailed out to an island 12 miles off shore. While we were out it rained, sleeted, snowed, and even hailed for a short time. At times the mail sail caught so much water that it was like a wall of water falling off the boom into the cockpit!

I was completely comfortable the whole time. Until we stripped off the gear and made a run for our cars. Then I got soaked to the skin! I came a way with a whole new appreciation for foul weather sailing, and no longer feel like it needs to be avoided, just anticipated and prepared for.

Gary H. Lucas

[flyingwelshman]

Great read.
Thanks for taking the time to share.

[mgiguere]

Barry, a great story. Having spent the first ten years in Marblehead, we use to go out at night a lot and just head off shore. Bring a couple subs and a few beers or hot soup and come back at midnight or later...sail to the mooring and crash in a bunk and go the work the next morning. Now down here on the Chesapeake Bay, we occasionally do over-nighters.

Last year our best sail began at 4am because we were becalmed from the prior day...(We thought the engine was broken, but we were out of fuel-the guage works now). We simply anchored as close as we could drift to the Annapolis southern entrance, had a nice dinner and went to bed. I woke up every couple hours and at 4am, the wind finally started to stir. We woke up the crew, pulled up the anchor and sailed back to Galesville under a full moon back to our mooring at Hartge's. It was the best sail of the year.

Moe
1967 Apache 37 Sloop (S&S)

[Imperial88]

thanks Gary.

Love it!

[JSL3]

Barry,

Nice post. Thanks for taking the time to write it down. It was a great read and it captures so many of the feelings and experiences we have as sailors. Very inspiring. I want to head out now.

[Faster]

Very nicely written - an enjoyable and easy read, evoking all the right emotions.

Obviously it was a special moment.... thanks for letting us in on it.

[Bene505]

Bump.

Reading this story again in February has made a difference. In the northeast US, we are only a few short weeks away from sailing again.

Regards,
Brad

[WanderingStar]

Brad, I hope you're right. I'm tired of cold and gray. But I also enjoyed Barry's account again.