Sailing: Day 2. Am I a Sailor Yet?

[Superseapig]

On the Texas gulf coast we are again watching the path of a TS expected to make landfall as a hurricane. But Saturday was another beautiful, breezy warm day on Galveston Bay.
Arrived around 9:30 to find the grounds committee making repairs to the bulkhead, repairing damage from Beta two weeks ago. Oh, the guilt to just grab a boat and go, even though our assignment is social committee!
As a pleasant surprise, rigging the boats this week was quite easy, very different from the puzzle of ropes and pulleys that faced us last week. It was so easy, in fact, that we had somebody check it for us because we were sure we must have missed something.
We launched the Opti for the 8yo first. She started out nervous because it was a bit choppy in nearly 10 knots with waves coming straight at us, but was doing quite well. Then a bigger wave bumped her as she was leaned over to tack, and she whacked her head pretty hard on the side of the boat, so that was pretty much that for her.
The 17 year old let out the sails in the sunfish,and went further and faster than last week. So we’re not worried about her anymore :-)
My husband was reluctant to get in at all since it took him the better part of the week to recover from our last outing. He was worried about capsizing on the waves and not being able to get back in, but got going and really truly enjoyed himself for the first time, going longer and longer between tacking.
I was ready to go out but had a little snafu when I just couldn’t seem to tack back in the direction of the club. Every time I did, the waves started pushing, the water in the cockpit gave an assist, and I almost went over. I had to immediately tack again to stabilize. Just kept getting further and further out. At one point I had resigned myself to pulling the boat back in. I even had my butt in the cockpit with my feet over the edge. Then I stopped and took a few deep breaths, got back up and just made it work.
There was a teen get-together planned for the afternoon, so around midday more families started arriving. There are quite a few new with us this year, with varying levels of experience. Most on the low end, some with more experience, though distant. We all took turns using the boats we had rigged, which meant we didn’t have to clean and show them, so that was a bonus! By the end of the day, we had made friends and plans. We ladies are going to get a lesson in rigging the club Capri 14.2 and take it out sans children and husbands (one of them has sailed them extensively so we will have an experienced body on board)

So to the initial question: Am I a sailor yet?
A)Yes
B) No
C) Maybe so
• D) All of the above.

For those that have seen my first time sailing post, don’t worry....this won’t be a weekly update, just a lot happening in the beginning!

Ali

[Rob_P]

It's not PC, but mi esposa doesn't care. She says Sailorette.

[tkeithlu]

Hey, you're sailing! You don't need a label. Your enthusiasm is infectious.
When beginners are first turned loose with Optimist prams on windy days (sorry about the bump) one common practice is to take away the gaff, so they have half a sail.

When I was your older daughter's age and sailing a boat as easy to flip as a Laser I made a practice of always leaving upwind from the beach, so if I messed up, I'd be drifting in the right direction. Even if I didn't mess up, it was never a question of "Can I return?" It was downwind to home. It kept me out of trouble with my parents on one occasion.

[LittleWing77]

That's fantastic, Ali!

Thanks for continued updates. Now next time you can't tack, gybe instead.

How's your 8-year old's head? Will she go back out on the Opti?

Have you all been wearing lifejackets? If not, then put them on, please, and it won't matter if you or your hubby capsizes...

Oh - and keep on Sailing!
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[LittleWing77]

(I think you may have been a sailor before you ever got into a boat...)

[Superseapig]

Life jackets are an absolute requirement at the club, but the water in the immediate surrounding water is between knee and chest deep anyway. Not really worried about going over, it’s just a hassle that our out-of-shape bodies would rather not have to deal with if we don’t have to. One of our fellow newbies had the tiller break on him and walked 1/4 mile back, pulling the boat behind him through the water. We are also almost at the end of a little cove, and the current is frequently pushing into the cove, so floating back is definitely an option, just not a very appealing one!
Thanks for the hint on gybing. Of course it didn’t occur to me, but since wave and current we’re against me, makes sense that it would work. So I guess skill #2, gybing, coming up in 2 weeks. I’ll let you know if anything goes awry 😜

Ali

[tanngrisnir]

Whole family of sailors, enjoying learning something new together. Does not get much better than that.

[HeinSdL]

Very cool, this is sailing! You're not only sailing, you're also bringing back great memories in, presumably, many readers. Which makes you a... sailing entertainer. Or entertaining sailor? Regardless, one can't ask for more!

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by tanngrisnir

Whole family of sailors, enjoying learning something new together. Does not get much better than that.

Does NOT get better than that!

Go SuperSea and Fam!
LittleWing77

[Ranger58]

My Dad sailed his whole life, but now in old age, he hasn't sailed for 10 years. Is he no longer a sailor? Is being called a sailor connote experience, knowledge level or recent time on the water? Personally, I think it's what you find yourself calling yourself in your heart. Certainly you could qualify the title and say you're a beginning Sailor, or someday an Old Salt. But clearly, sailing is in your blood, and that makes you a sailor.

[waterman46]

I hope the advice about gybing if you couldn't tack, was a joke! (I'm referring to dinghy sailing, not the clumsy tub I cruise in). Gybing dingies in a brisk wind can sometimes require a lot more experience than tacking.
If you wonder why I said that, your sailor title is just pending.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Superseapig

On the Texas gulf coast we are again watching the path of a TS expected to make landfall as a hurricane. But Saturday was another beautiful, breezy warm day on Galveston Bay.
Arrived around 9:30 to find the grounds committee making repairs to the bulkhead, repairing damage from Beta two weeks ago. Oh, the guilt to just grab a boat and go, even though our assignment is social committee!
As a pleasant surprise, rigging the boats this week was quite easy, very different from the puzzle of ropes and pulleys that faced us last week. It was so easy, in fact, that we had somebody check it for us because we were sure we must have missed something.
We launched the Opti for the 8yo first. She started out nervous because it was a bit choppy in nearly 10 knots with waves coming straight at us, but was doing quite well. Then a bigger wave bumped her as she was leaned over to tack, and she whacked her head pretty hard on the side of the boat, so that was pretty much that for her.
The 17 year old let out the sails in the sunfish,and went further and faster than last week. So we’re not worried about her anymore :-)
My husband was reluctant to get in at all since it took him the better part of the week to recover from our last outing. He was worried about capsizing on the waves and not being able to get back in, but got going and really truly enjoyed himself for the first time, going longer and longer between tacking.
I was ready to go out but had a little snafu when I just couldn’t seem to tack back in the direction of the club. Every time I did, the waves started pushing, the water in the cockpit gave an assist, and I almost went over. I had to immediately tack again to stabilize. Just kept getting further and further out. At one point I had resigned myself to pulling the boat back in. I even had my butt in the cockpit with my feet over the edge. Then I stopped and took a few deep breaths, got back up and just made it work.
There was a teen get-together planned for the afternoon, so around midday more families started arriving. There are quite a few new with us this year, with varying levels of experience. Most on the low end, some with more experience, though distant. We all took turns using the boats we had rigged, which meant we didn’t have to clean and show them, so that was a bonus! By the end of the day, we had made friends and plans. We ladies are going to get a lesson in rigging the club Capri 14.2 and take it out sans children and husbands (one of them has sailed them extensively so we will have an experienced body on board)

So to the initial question: Am I a sailor yet?
A)Yes
B) No
C) Maybe so
• D) All of the above.

For those that have seen my first time sailing post, don’t worry....this won’t be a weekly update, just a lot happening in the beginning!

Ali

If your working on knowledge, or skills, practical or theory.
In my humble opinion...your a sailor.
SV Cloud Duster

[Superseapig]

Waterman, I do realize that a controlled gybe is an acquired skill that needs lots more practice than a tack. I’ve seen an accidental one in some of the optis and won’t let my kids do one just yet. But I’m also ok with sailor being a pending title

I’m considering myself pretty lucky to be in the Houston area as a beginner. Not great cruising grounds, but every time I look, I find something new to help us along our path to learning. And of course the short, mild winters.

Ali

[ChrisJHC]

Don’t be scared of gybing but do respect it.

You will find that some of the small cats that are available in holiday resorts are more fun to gybe rather than tack so it’s a good skill to have.

Plus you will obviously have to know how to gybe at some stage!

[Superseapig]

Last time we went to the club, winds were around 11-12 knots, so my older daughter is the only one that went out. Winds coming for a different direction than usual and threw us all off. She was struggling, tried tacking from a broad reach and stalled but then got stuck. She was doing everything that we knew we were supposed to do...push the boom, push the tiller, wait till you’re going backwards, straighten tiller, pull in sheet, and the boat wouldn’t budge. She was getting pushed further and further out. Don’t know what she eventually did to get it going again, but came in crying. My legs were so tired after wading out to help her recover. All us newbies chickened our. Of course once we derigged the boats we regretted it! So it was a disappointing day, with a notable exception: a fellow club member took my husband out on his 14’ Hobie Cat, so he is much less content to spend the winter on land and more open to spending the $$ for the ASA 101 classes for us all. If we do a private lesson during the week it’s about the cost of 1 dry suit! Last weekend was freezing (for here) and we don’t have cold weather gear yet. Honestly it just isn’t in the budget for dry suits for 4, especially with the little one still growing. We will still have some warm days so an inexpensive wetsuit might help enough for a bit longer but of course in fall the winds tend to be higher so I don’t know how often we’ll get out there. Add to that the busy season that starts with Halloween and doesn’t end until New Year’s! We have lots of November birthdays in our family so it is nonstop from here on out. In the meantime I’m still lurking the forums for nuggets of wisdom. And shopping online for our future boat. Last week I picked up Annapolis and Chapman seamanship and Dutton’s Navigation for a total of $30 at Half Price Books, so I’ve got my winter reading.