It's been a while.  I've been busy...

But yesterday we shook off the sailing cob-webs and got underway once again.  Our excursion was again in a Catalina 250 and this time we added a few adventurers to the fun.  Sam, Mandi, Madison and I were joined by Alec and Sergei, two kids in our neighborhood.  They kept Sam occupied, perhaps a bit too much.

Initially I wanted to get Mandi and Sam some time on Tiller and Sheet, so once I raised the sails Sam got on the tiller, I took the baby, and Mandi hit the sheets, so to speak...

As we approached a lee shore I deemed it time to tack.  Sam called the commands, and Mandi was ready, so Helm to Lee!  But then the sheets were not cooperating on the winches.  The fairleads were too close to the winches which was causing the sheets to ride up on themselves and get wrapped up, jamming the sheet and not allowing the Jib to switch sides.  This happened three times before I had to take the sheets in hand myself and see if I could do any better.  I could not, but at least I was strong enough to pull the sheets out once they'd wrapped.  Of course I didn't diagnose the true problem until much later in the day when we'd already wrapped the sheets around the winches far too many times for a four hour sail.  We moved the fairleads forwards on their tracks a few clicks...  lessons lessons...

All of this was exacerbated by inconsistent shifty winds.  From the moment we left Marriott Yacht Harbor to the point where we were abeam of Shelter Island the winds had shifted a good 140 degrees!  Further challenges lay in the fact that the winds would gust from 0 to 20 knotts and back.  When we finally decided to turn and head back down wind towards San Diego we ended up in a wind hole.  Not sure how else to describe it.  We were becalmed when just minutes before we were heeled nearly 30 degrees.  What I did notice as we bore westward though was that the closer we got to the mouth of the Bay the more consistent the winds became.  Mental notes were taken...

Another factor that was challenging us was the rudder flopping around on very loose or worn pintals.  We could not make minor adjustments in course because the rudder would just flop over a few more degrees than intended and the course would swing MUCH farther than intended.

Okay, I can hear you out there, I know...  We were still enjoying a spectacular day on San Diego Bay!  Truth be told we probably learned more under these conditions than we would have in perfectly steady 10 knot winds on a brand new boat.  At this point in my sailing career that really is the point of most of the these trips.

I did get to practice one more manuever before the day was out.  I successly got the boat into Heave To, albeit probably from the worst point of sail to start from.  We were running, having just passed under the bridge, in a wing and wing configuration.  With the mainsail to starboard and jib to port I probably should have turned to port there-by taking pressure off the main and backing the jib.  Huh?  What?  You mean that would have just put us into Heave To pain free?  Well, yes it would have, had that been what I chose to do...

Of course I'm Monday Morning Skippering here and at the time it seemed the right thing to do was to turn starboard.  I really wish we would have had some video of the events that followed but long story short we did a 270 with the main flailing from full starboard to full port and back again.  Under certain circumstances this really wouldn't have been all that bad because we weren't moving very fast and the wind was in somewhat of a lull.  The problem we encountered was that Sam was straddling the traveler and the main sheet wacked him in the face as it swung to port and back again.  It wasn't enough to hurt him but I'm sure it scared him and made me feel like a total twit!

While I appologized to him profusely I maintained the tiller full starboard with the jib backed on the port side and the main swinging free, as we very slowly drifted leeward.  Yes ladies and gentlelmen, we were hove to!  Nothing about the evolution was graceful but we did end up in the configuration sought.  I continue to be thankful for small successes...

Next weekend I take the ASA 103 class and I hope we have at least as challenging conditions.  I'd really like to see how someone who knows how to sail handles these things.

Until then I remain hove to,
Seaman Ray