Now driving sucks, but the one thing it does do is give one a lot of time to think and plan. Boy, did I have a lot of planning to do. All I could think about was getting rid of that name, Grey Bird, changing her color, putting in new interior upholstery, and, of course, taking her out for our 1st big boat sail. Three weeks out would give us three days off and a good amount of time to begin to get a feel of the boat.
Finally........ back home in Port I. We got there in the afternoon, so we just checked in to good ol' White Sands motel. The next morning we got up, had breakfast, and went over to the boat. Mark came out to greet us and let us know about the rental fees and such, so now I was paying my first slip rent on my own boat. Business done, I announced we would be taking it out for our first sail.
Did I mention Gray Bird was about 24 feet bigger than the last boat I had sailed? And that it was about 15 years ago when I did? Splashdance and Grey Bird had one thing in common (if you don't count the fact that they both floated), and that was they both had a main sail and a genoa. I was familiar with this sail plan, so I felt confident I could sail her.
While we're mentioning things, did I mention that this was also Carols' first sail EVER?
Now, she and I had talked about taking a little introductory sail and had even talked to a captain in Port I about going out for an overnight sail with him, just to see if Carol was ok with sailing. As I talked with the guy, though, he seemed vague and really kind of disinterested, so I sidelined that plan/ Actually, I found out later that he only had a 28 foot Bristol and it wouldn't have been a very good experience for her.
So, anyway, we boarded the boat and I started the little Yanmar 2-cylinder engine (which only had 600 plus hours on it). While we let it warm up, we put things away and settled in. I untied the dock lines as Mark ,the dock master, looked on and pushed the bow away from the dock. We were tied between two other boats, so I felt a little uneasy, but as I ran back to put her in gear, we motored away from the dock nicely. I turned hard to port and we were off down the last finger of the channel, heading out to the Queen Isabella bridge.
Christening the Sue.
Now, I was not familiar with the local waters, and as we went under the bridge, little did I know we were heading into low water. First mistake - keeping my eyes glued to the depth sounder. I guess the water gods took pity on us "first time fools" and let us pass out to the seaward channel without grounding. And yes, that would be our only "free pass" through that area.
With the end of the jetties in sight, it was time to show Carol that all that talk about "I really can sail a boat". "I know how to tack and jibe" and "I do know a genoa sheet from a halyard" was not just talk. So out rolled the genoa and we bore off to port. I hadn't felt this good since I first sailed Splashdance.
With everything going so well, I looked at Carol. She was just smiling and enjoying the ride. For her first sail, she was taking it like an "old saltette" (Would that be the feminine version of "old salt"?).
Looks like she's doing fine to port, so lets try a tack to starboard. It shouldn't be too hard. All the lines lead to the cockpit, so all I have to do is turn hard to starboard and change the genoa across to the starboard side, right? No problem. After all, isn't that what I did on Splashdance? So, turn to starboard, lock off the helm, uncleat the port gen sheet and pull the starboard sheet through to. . . I said "pull the starboard sheet" what the hell is going on here!! The sheet would NOT pull beyond the starboard shroud, and with the sail flapping itself to death, I soon gave up and turned back to port and again tried to trim the sail, but now it just kept hanging op on the port shroud. I was getting more frustrated by the second and thought Carol must be thinking what a B S'er I was. ("Huh!! Can't even get out of the harbor jetties under sail, and with a good wind, too? Sailor? Yeah, right!"). And she would have been right, except that I had done this a thousand times in Splashdance and I knew it should have worked now.
Just a short time at the helm....for a quick photo.
You know, when I looked over at Carol, she was just sitting there smiling like she was enjoying herself. I was amazed. She later told me that she thought it was quiet normal and was actually enjoying it. Well, I wasn't enjoying it at all, and was totally frustrated with this ridiculous display of inept seamanship!Beaten, I pulled the stubborn genoa in, started the little Yanmar, and motored back to the slip. Mark was there to help me get back on the side-tie, and after I shut everything down, I went forward to see what had defeated me. There it was - two of the BIGGEST, ugliest granny knots I had ever seen tied into the clew of the genoa! There was no way those could have crossed the shrouds; and how Paul (the previous owner) ever sailed her was beyond me. So, this is where a long list of changes and upgrades would begin. Oh, and my first of many calls to order from West Marine!
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For another photo shot
Happy at the helm!