Gearing up to go...

Back on the 4th of July our initiation to open water sailing was cancelled due to the oil spill. Now, coming up on Labor day, we are eying a hurricane on a possible collision course with our second try. As of this evening it looks like we will still be a go, though we may do the circle of Manhattan Island clockwise instead of the other way round, just to give the ocean a chance to settle down a little more after Earl goes his merry way. So with a bit of optimism we are packing to head out Saturday morning. (The class is scheduled to depart the pier Monday morning, but there will be Daughters, Grand babies, and one Son-in-law to visit over the weekend. The other Son-in-Law has drawn hurricane house sitting duties out on the Cape.)

So there is a big, red duffel bag sitting in my living room stuffed full of sailing necessities; two sets of new (and pretty cool) foulies, life vests, boots, gloves, bedding, hoodies, etc. It is kind of fun thinking we are going to put these things to their intended use, learn some new skills, see some new sights, experience a new thing. I am truly curious to see if any of the lessons learned on Nomad will really make the transition. After all, we sail ON lake Carlyle, but we will be sailing IN the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound. We don't even use the same words to describe the activity. I'm sure those of you with hundreds of salt water miles under your keels will shrug, such things being utterly routine to you. I suspect I would do the same at a sailor learning to fly and facing her first long, solo cross country. (Don't tell anyone but, if I recall correctly, I missed spotting my destination airport on my first long, solo, cross country, over flew it by 10 minutes, and had to circle back to find it. This was decades before GPS made such a navigation faux-pas a distant memory.) I have never needed a tide chart before, never sailed in a shipping lane, never shared a 35 foot boat with 3 strangers for 5 days, never stood a night watch except at anchor on the Cat last year. I have certainly never sailed on an ocean humped up by a passing hurricane. Everything about next week will be different from anything we have done before.

I hope I don't puke on my new boots...