Back to the beginning

We stopped at the Titusville mooring field yesterday so that we could meet a blog reader who (bless his heart) went all the way back to the beginning of our blog and read it through and contacted us shortly after. In addition to meeting a new friend, it was good to take a day's break from the relentless early morning all day runs we've been slogging through the past few weeks.

The deck of Nomad circa 2008

After a leisurely morning in a very nice, screened-in cruiser's porch at the Titusville Marina doing updates on our Active Captain and Garmin and Navionics with their wifi, we met Colby and gave him a ride out to see Kintala in the dink, followed by a nice lunch in the cafe section of downtown. We chatted about all the projects done on the boat, about learning to sail, about kids and jobs (or the lack of) and goals and dreams. Colby is just starting out with his cruising dream with no prior sailing experience just like us, so the conversation was centered primarily on what it was like in the beginning. We reminisced about our ASA 101, 103, 104, 105 and 114, and about stumbling around Nomad before we had learned much of anything.

As we talked, I began to realize the volume of knowledge and experience we've accumulated in the last eight years. I could see that it could be a bit overwhelming to someone with just a glimmer of a dream and a ton of questions on how to turn it to reality. As we debated the benefits of learning to sail in a trailer sailor versus a boat in a permanent slip, it occurred to me that it's really a good thing every once in a while to sit down and think back to the days in the beginning - to remember that glimmer of a dream that you've managed somehow to turn into reality. The cruising life can be so encompassing that it's easy to forget how far we've come, and I'm really grateful for the fresh eyes of a dreamer to remind me.

Thank you Colby.

Miscellaneous pictures

Sailing "Wing on Wing", when you sail downwind and have the mainsail on one side and the jib on the other. This allows the wind to push the boat downwind more efficiently.

Tim at the entrance of the cabin so you can guage the size.

The inside of the boat facing aft.

One-entry logbook

Day two complete and I am the proud owner of a new sailing logbook with an ASA101 endorsement in it. The day started out with the completion of our 100 question written test and then some time on the water. By 12:30 the wind was dying off so we heaved to and ate some lunch. The wind remained calm and the water glassy in spite of the weatherman's predictions of 8-12 knots after 1:00. Here is how Tim entertained himself. Quite adaptable, don't you think? 

 We finally turned on the motor and practiced man overboard drills under power since we had to prove the skill to pass the test. After the drills we decided to head out under power a little and explore the other end of the lake. Half way there the wind suddenly picked up so off went the motor and out came the sails. We got to practice the man overboard drills under sail and I even beat Tony's speed record with a whopping 2.87 knots. Wooooooo Hoooooo! We actually had some good sailing for the rest of the afternoon and then headed back. It was a wonderful experience that answered our initial question of whether we want to try to do this. The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Day one of ASA101

We arrived at class about 8:15, packed lunch and coffee thermos in hand, and had some time to walk around the marina looking at boats. By 9 we were all there and had swept the spider webs off the boat (spiders like marinas it would seem), stowed all our gear, put on our life jackets, learned where all the through-hulls were (any drain or water inlet that goes through the hull). The wind was blowing nicely and off we went.

We had a chance to each steer the boat through a tack and a jibe before lunch. Here's a video of Tim's first tack:

My first sailing attempt took a little concentration, but I was amazed at how similar the skills required were to flying.

On the way out to the middle of the lake we dropped a water bottle off the boat by accident which is a no-no. The federal regulations state that you can't dump any plastic overboard in any waters of the United States. So we decided to practice the man overboard drill using our water bottle as John Doe. We successfully rescued Mr. Doe and off we went.

We stopped for lunch around 12:30 and shortly after lunch the wind pretty abruptly came to a halt. We ended up motoring back to the marina via some bouys at which we each practiced a mooring pickup (a manuever that allows you to secure your boat to an anchored float to spend the night), and then we each practiced motoring up to the dock without slamming into it.

More book work at the dock in preparation for the written test tomorrow. Hopefully the wind will pick up a little in the morning so we can get our practical test out of the way.

Miscellaneous observations:

I thought the "heeling" (when the boat tips in good wind) would bother me, but it's just a lot like being in a hard corner on the ZX-14, just in slow motion.

Note to self: if we ever use the head, make sure to have it cleaned after returning to the dock. Letting the holding tank sit makes for an uncomfortably smelly boat.

Second note to self: never never never leave food in the refrigerator when the power is off.

I'm happy that my flying skills came back in use after all these years of not flying.

When you get off the boat, you still feel the rolling waves.

Coffee tastes better on open water in a sailboat. So does a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

Sailboats make you smile.

School's out for sailing

We learned boat parts, rules & regulations and how to tie 6 basic knots in class tonight. Tomorrow morning we're on the boat. I stood in the parking lot of the sailing school and looked up at a 41 ft Hunter, and it seems a lot smaller than one would think. I didn't get to see the inside, but Tim did before class. He said he was also surprised at how small the inside was. Maybe I can't live on a boat. It will be interesting to see the boat tomorrow with 7 of us on board.

The inside of the boat we will be using for class