Another Good Sailing Weekend

I may not be able to spend much time up at the lake next weekend, because summer grades will be due and there are dozens of projects and papers to read and grade. I did go up Friday evening this week.

Good weather I considered going out for an evening sail on Friday. I still need to get the bow lights working, but I have a battery-operated alternative that might have served. I'll have to do that soon. A night sail can be truly lovely, particularly since the wind was moderating and the weather was fine. I walked instead, though. Another time.

I was up by 6:30 Saturday morning and went for a row up river of over an hour, followed by a walk around breakfast time. A colleague showed up a little after 10, and we caught the 11 am bridge opening. The wind was good and piped up a bit as we sailed. We didn't go anywhere in particular, but it was a good sail. She was doing the steering for much of the time, since I like to let the newbies learn how to do it. She was a little surprised at how important it is to pay constant attention to the boat, the course, the wind, etc.

I did take over the sailing about 2 pm or so. The wind was mostly from the SW and we had gotten a few miles downwind of the Portage River and Port Clinton. I was a little worried about how well we would be able to work back up against the wind when it came time to head back in. I had visions of taking a couple of hours once we decided we had had enough. I was impressed with how well she did to windward, however, and we were soon back in the right area. I suspect that painting her bottom before launch has helped a lot. The good winds that we have had much of this summer are useful, too. At any rate, I was much more pleased with her windward performance this year than when I was testing it last year. We got the sails in and just managed to catch the 3:30 bridge opening. He kept it open perhaps a bit longer than he might have, since most of the other boats were through as we came around the riverbend. Getting into the slip was interesting, as usual, but I got some practice backing down and maneuvering under power. And I didn't actually hit anything (came close, though!).

After Cindy left, I showered, did some more walking and had some dinner. The rowing and walking didn't do my back much good.

This morning, I went to the Elks breakfast buffett and ate too much. (I' still feeling the effects!) But some others on B dock invited me, because there is a couple at the marina who have spent 9 years sailing around the world. They have spent serious amounts of time in places like New Zealand and Spain. I learned a bit about what they have done and their plans, but the conversation was too general to find out all I wanted. They are from Vancouver, and I wasn't clear on how they were planned to get home. Back down the Erie Canal, down the cost, across the Gulf and then through the Panama Canal perhaps? Apparently Howard has been planning this since he was a child (they are retired now). He built the boat and now they are sailing it

After returning to the marina, I could scarcely keep my eyes open. Full of energy yesterday, and then today.... I could have and should have sailed again, but finally just packed up and came home. Turned out there were some things I needed to do for classes anyway.

My ambitions are, at the moment, a little less lofty than going around the world. I should spend a couple of hours just maneuvering under power, going in and out of the slip, etc. I would like to try some more exotic things such as an evening sail.

I would like to start sailing, even the day sails with some destination in mind. Perhaps starting early enough, going out to the lee of one of the islands and anchoring for a while (Kelley's? Sugar? Green? Probably not South Bass, since one needs a mooring in Putin Bay). I would like to take off from work in the middle of the week and go out to Put-in Bay. I figure getting a mooring (not to mention a table in a restaurant) would be a lot easier if it's not a weekend. Doing something more exotic like an evening sail would be good. Then in a a season or two, I would like to circumnavigate Lake Erie. The problem there is the money. I would miss out on making a big part of my annual salary if I took off from teaching for the summer. The idea of not teaching sounds great, but the budget implications are important. I figure the trip could take 1.5 to 2 months. I suppose I could try teaching while on it. I would probably have to get cell phone network access and work on the course in the mornings and evenings. I could test that out next summer by living up there longer than occasional weekends.

Then it is around the world....