And oh, did the weather cooperate. Sunny, mid-80's, and a forecast of 9 mph winds (down from the 11-12 forecast earlier, but oh, well). Checking sailflow.com, that is about what we had, with gusts up to 15. While I was there, I happily run into Kim, for whom I'd a 6 pack of beer, since she's been SO nice. She's not only been totally supportive and encouraging and not flipping out as this totally inexperience boater backs out right next to her precious boat, but she's called me when strange people (i.e. breakfast crew checking out LPG locker) are at my boat, and made sure that I knew D was at the boat yesterday, cleaning the boat bottom.
Mike and Mark from the Cascade breakfast crew came out - Don was unable to make it - and we headed out. A bit troublesome getting out of the dock. I somehow moved the stern a bit to the right rather than the left backing out, but was able to turn the boat and headed out without too much drama. It's funny how the row is starting to look a little bigger now that I'm getting a bit more of a feel for the boat.
We motored out - passing a sailboat that had apparently lost its engine (I don't know why they weren't readying an anchor, or readying a line to toss to another boat). The channel seems to be not currently well marked - there seems to be more sand / shallower water when you get to the markers. I'll have to keep an eye on that, because we tripped the alarm a couple times in areas that I think should be just fine.
The wind was NW(?), almost but not quite wing-on-wing capable. It was a bit puffy, so the jib would flap around, a bit alarmingly to me, but Mark & Mike didn't seem too perturbed, so I tried to follow their lead. We did some nice slow jibes, controlling the main, and I understand this process a lot better now that I've been on the dinghies. Maybe it's just that you get a lot of practice, very quickly on the dinghy. We made very good speeds through the water - the knotmeter (which is now ungunked, thanks to D cleaning the boat bottom yesterday) was reading about 4 knots pretty consistently. We got up pretty close to the bridge, turned around and practiced tacking. EEEeeeeeee (gasp) Eeeeeeeee. We talked about how the boat wants to round into the wind, and if you can't hold the tiller you end up going into the wind, and reefing the main then makes it easier to actually hold your course. They encouraged me to brace myself inside the cockpit, and we tossed all the slidey cushions into the cabin. When the cushions slide, that's when I get a little freaked (because I'm FALLING OUT OF THE BOAT, that's why). Getting rid of them helped a lot, as did hanging onto one side of the boat with an arm while hanging onto the tiller. Multiple body parts in contact with the boat = less panicky Martha.
We happily avoided a barge, and the sandbar on the other side, and then all the sailboats that were headed upriver. Good practice - and since I'm leeward, I think I have right of way. I really need to go back and study those rules. We were able to almost perfectly hold a close hauled course heading down river, with very little tacking needed. That was really nice for getting me more comfortable, and when tacking, I tried changing sides like I do on the dinghy, handling the tiller behind me.
Packing up went well, we motored in, avoided all the traffic (kayaks, impatient power boats, etc), and then got ready to dock. This time, there was actually a strong tailwind. Strong enough, actually, that I couldn't hold still in the slough! It was actually pushing me slightly upriver! So I started to do a 360 and then realized once I was much more perpendicular to the current, it compensated well for the wind. So, balancing the current and the wind, and closer to a 90 degree angle than I have been before, we headed in. Mark coached me a little bit - getting positioned within the row, but my speed was adjusted well enough that I was able to stand up on the seat and see the bow (I was standing on the starboard side - further from the tiller, but a really good view of Kim's boat). And I asked when I thought I could turn, the guys confirmed it, and it went in just as well as the last time, maybe even better (I probably could have turned a hair earlier). Totally awesome. What a scary learning curve, but I am getting a little less terrified. Actually, I'm not even sure my knees were shaking at the end. WOW!
LESSON: That wind affects you during docking more than you've realized, and it was super obvious this time. Keep an eye on it.
LESSON: Bungee the oven door shut unless you want all the pans falling out...again.
LESSON: KEEP LOOKING AT THE DOCK. Sheesh.
And here's the happy crew!
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