February 21, 2014

Today we took “Pablo” out sailing. Our excitement alone could have filled her sails. We went through our setting off checklist, discussed our plan, secured the cabin and off we went. We got off the dock with our usual “that didn’t go exactly as planned”, but as always we were off safely (getting out of our slip has been an ongoing challenge for us). We made a quick stop at the pump out station to pump the holding tank and then we were on our way.

The winds were 10 knots from the south. And when all three of her sails caught that wind, oh what a beautiful sight. We spent about 40 minutes playing with her sails, seeing how she tacks, learning just how tight we need to trim her sails to make her happy. We were grinning like little children at the fair.

We could see of in the distance a wall of fog coming in and we spent about 15-20 minutes deciding if we should go in. Captan Steve made the call and by the time he got the jib down we were covered in a think marine layer of dense fog. He started the motor and gave me a heading while he pulled out his iPhone. (no, we were not calling anyone) He used the iSailor app on his iPhone to navigate our way back into the harbor. With only 200 feet visibility, Steve said it was like playing a video game. Just keep the boat on the screen on coarse. EEK! All the while I listened for the sound of law mowers.

We learned a lot today about ourselves and each other. You never know how your relationship is going to hold together when the pressure is on. And sailing blind can be a bit intense. We did beautifully. We worked together seamlessly. I am so proud of us!