Sailing After a Year

LMA and I went sailing yesterday on our little boat (that ain’t us). J Scane and LV were along too, and since Scane’s more or less a partner in the boat, and a better sailor than LMA or I, he ran the show.

We sailed 2 miles or so out past Angel’s Gate (San Pedro Harbor), tacked twice, then headed back. Took us 4 tacks to work our way back into the marina from the lighthouse at the entrance. Next time we’re gonna try to make it in 2.

We aren’t very elegant in our handling of the boat. Basic steps, like raising/lowering sails, tacking without losing headway, casting off are a confused muddle; sails flap, sheets get wound onto winches backward, the dope lowering the jib (me), grabs the wrong color-coded line and lowers the main instead.

We made it back without breaking anything. It was fun and woulda been funner if I’d calmed down a bit.

Next week, instead of heading straight out of Angel’s Gate (southwestward?, SSW?), we’ll turn west and tack our way up toward the old Marineland. Maybe it’s time to get a compass and a chart.