Really Getting Started

Between work and trips and weather (rain, t-storms, etc.) I have barely gotten started until this past weekend. There were storms overnight on Friday (the same ones that produced flooding farther west), but they moved through. I headed up to the marina Saturday morning, starting in rain but ending in beautiful weather. I bought some provisions and spent some time fixing a few things around the boat. I discovered that I didn't have the tools I needed to mount the new clock and barometer, so they will have to wait until next weekend. I know what I need to try next on the water supply for the sink, but I can't find the clamps that I bought earlier. I wonder what I did with them.

I found a Webcam from the area. It's mislabeled, but it shows the Portage River, looking downstream toward downtown Port Clinton, The camera is mounted in a small lighthouse that is one the grounds of the marina. It used to be a working lighthouse but was moved here, presumably to preserve it. A few yards to the left of the picture is my slip with the boat in it. Here's the cam:

http://eriecam.com/?cam=2

Last Saturday evening, you might have seen me row by. I purchased a small (very small) dinghy this season, and rowed up-river for a while and then back. The boat is a lot easier to row than my rowing machine at home. Plus, it's a lot more interesting to actually move through the water. Lots to see. Next time, a camera.

On Sunday, I invited a couple of colleagues to come for a sail. I emailed them at 7:30 am to let them know that everything was on. They replied that the Weather Channel was showing storms in the area at that very moment. I found that odd, given that the sky was a deep blue from horizon to horizon, with nary a cloud in sight. And the National Weather Service was saying only a slight chance of showers or storms late in the day. My colleagues decided to come ahead.

We caught the 11 am bridge opening. The wind was pretty brisk and we headed straight out into the lake, sailing for miles away from shore before turing back. The wind did start gusting pretty good later in the sail, but we did reef the jib, and that helped keep the boat under good control. The mainsail wouldn't go up; something was catching about half the way. This weekend the winds are predicted to be pretty light, so maybe I'll be able to raise it at the dock and see what is going wrong. This past weekend, it wasn't necessarily a problem, since the extra sail area might have been a problem in the higher winds.

All in all, a successful day. And having some extra hands, especially during leaving and entering the slip was very useful. They really weren't good enough sailors to be a great help during sail handling, though. Perhaps a training program.....

Unfortunately, between the rowing and the hours of sailing, I started to realize how I'm aging on the drive home. Bruises and aches were a clear message. Perhaps my increasing exercise regimen will have me doing better before the end of the season.