First Sail of the New Dinghy

Last week was a little too windy to sail especially with a new crew member and me never having sailed the boat before, but I was itching to try out the my boat. So this weekend we took her out - Saturday afternoon to be exact although it was still a little gusty. An on shore breeze meant a nose out launch and with a little help from another sailor we cast off and made a sharp tack (get it?) to the left to sail down the Lake. Even though I had the sail let out a long way it was still making good speed and we were frequently catching up on boats as we followed them down the lake.

So what was it like? Well not hugely different to the Wayfarer but enough to notice the difference. The boat is much lighter so its easier to manoeuvre in and out of the water (which is good if your'e single handed) and also it seemed, and is, a lot smaller and more responsive so turning the boat is much easier. When you first pick up speed there is a "thrumming" noise from the boat as it goes through the water as it reaches the resonant frequency then as you go faster still the noise stops. It was a little disconcerting at first but after a while it became quite comforting as you knew that you were making some progress. Was it a good purchase? Well after months of deliberation, looking at boats in adverts and thinking I would never find one that was affordable, in good condition and had all of the accessories that I needed to get me started, this is it!! I'm really pleased with it and short of a lottery win, I really can see myself keeping it a few years before I look to change, as I believe there a lot of potential left to discover in the boat.

Carol was very nervous to start with but with all credit to her she had the opportunity to refuse to go out with me but still went for it anyway. I would like to think that by the end of the hour and half that we spent out on the water she was getting a little more relaxed about it all. We made a rather dramatic landing when we couldn't derig the main sail fast enough but no damage to boat and crew so I consider that to be a big plus.

Rest of the week has been fairly mundane in comparison. The fun and games with our new Bank account continued, my bad back eased a lot following 2 trips to the Gym and a game of Squash. Tony (my ex neighbour) beat me this week though so that's got to stop. Sky TV and Broadband looks appealing as I am itching to see some Hi Definition content on my TV now that I have gotten used to the screen size and got the picture as good as possible. So in the next month or so I will get that sorted out.

Finally back to the Nautical theme. Last Blog I made the mistake of mentioning that I would not really want to comment on fashion items for sailing - as it really isn't my thing - so of course "The Blog Totty" (see earlier posting) have now demanded this - insisting that I suggest the most appropriate and fashionable apparel to wear on a boat. Well I'm no expert on fashion (and if you saw the clothes I wear you would understand that) but as I recall most of the photographs of boats that you see and indeed advertising at at the boat shows etc, seem to have young ladies wearing bikinis. Now there must be a reason for this and after a lot of consideration on the subject, the only one I can think of is that the Bikini provides complete freedom of movement around the boat, is practical if you happen to get wet and still retains the wearers modesty (well most of the time). Granted, if you are dealing with the might of the Southern Ocean (Ala Ellen McArthur) then you may need to wear something more substantial, but I guess that if you were to visit a Marina wearing the above clothing then experienced sailors would immediately recognise the practicality of your choice and quickly invite you on board to sail with them. This would work equally well for Submarines I guess but it does limit the opportunities for Pimms on the deck. I'm sure there must be other clothing choices to make that would work equally well but I really can't think of anything else at the moment, if you know what I mean...

Is it really Monday tomorrow?