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Carefully sailed off the mooring under mizzen and staysail. Out in the Sound, conditions were ideal for a fat ketch: moderate puffy SW, small sea. Went down to Smithtown on a close reach, tacked around and reached back. Warm and breezy, glad to have such a great day in October.
Sunday in the Chesapeake was equally very nice. Beautiful weather, and plenty of wind for some very good sailing. Later in the afternoon, we got some gusts over 15 knots, I would say - saw some whitecaps and all of a sudden the boat started seriously heeling.
Had a friend and her new boyfriend out on the boat, and we went out the Piankatank and down past Gwynne Island, then back up and hove to for lunch; then up around Stingray Point and into the mouth of the Rappahannock, then around the Rappahannock channel marker and back down and tack our way back into the Piankatank as the sun started getting lower and the winds picked up.
There was some weather to the north, and all of a sudden there was a long line of sailboats motoring under bare sticks heading back in. They looked like they were trying to make time - understandable given the time of day and the skies in the background. We just kept tacking under sail. I didn't want to fire up the engine yet.
Monday was cloudy, but warm. There was a forecast of fresh gusts, but most of the sail was in gentle to moderate breeze. Just near the end, the breeze came across fresh, even strong. With everything set, she heeled enough to dip the caprail (my 12' beam usually keeps that dry). I just kept on knowing that furling would be easier in the lee of the bluffs. The last big blast before I got there made quite an impression on the water.
I also heard a loon laughing (the bird). A sure sign of fall, as they winter here.
I'm jealous! I tried to get to my boat yesterday but work got too busy (do you remember work?), Now I'm stuck in Syracuse trying to get to Atlanta for a meeting. The good news is that I will take Friday off and get on the water (weather permitting).
Barry, your always welcome aboard WS. I'm thinking the local guys should try a gathering on board for winter sailing.
Carl, I love night sailing. I do prefer it in warm weather though. Also, my wife hopes I'll be home at night. Almost certainly will sail again tomorrow.
We went out with a very old friend was visiting, yesterday. Alas, there was no wind. Just clouds and flat calm.
On the up side, we enjoyed each other's company. Our friend is a fellow sailor who keeps his boat on Kootenay Lake, in the BC Interior. So we had a lot of laughs and some additional memories.
If nothing else, we proved that a bad day on a boat truly is better than a good day at the office.
I'm hoping to go out for a day sail in the Chesapeake next weekend, Nov. 20. But of course, the Chesapeake in central Virginia in late November is not quite the same as British Columbia in late November!
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