I love being underway. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy nice marinas and pretty, out-of-the-way anchorages, but for me nothing is better than a good breeze filling the sails accompanied by nothing but the sound of gurgling seawater and the crackle of the VHF radio now and then. We often spend eight to ten hours a day sailing between 3 and 6 knots. If we average 5 kts during the day, especially in the hot summer with fluky breezes, we are happy. Yes it can get really really hot. The only relief is to point the boat up head-to-wind, throw a line off the stern, don your favorite life jacket, and jump overboard (yes throw me in the briar patch). I did exactly that while crossing the Chesapeake Bay last week. It is best in the middle of the Bay in deep water where there are no sea nettles and the water is a gorgeous clean blue green. Senara was still ghosting along at about 1.5 kts so I tied the line to my life jacket and just let her pull me along slowly. 
K reaching along at 7 knots
Ghost Man Driving! gotta luv auto-pilot
During those lazy long sails in the hot summer life aboard takes on a different, surreal pace. I become mesmerized, almost in a trance, looking out at the water watching the pelicans dive on menhaden and watching the colors of the water and sky change over the hours. K likes to read and work crosswords in her favorite spot on the cushion chair up on the bow. Sometimes I activate the auto-pilot and go forward and join her up on the bow with a magazine. Or I get involved in small projects around the boat such as whipping the ends of any lines that appear to be fraying. Or I bother K by asking for help to make a sail change. For the past few days we have left our primary jib sail (a 155% genoa) rolled up and hoisted our yellow and white "drifter" sail which is a lighter fabric that will retain its shape in light air. Hoisting the drifter requires some coordination between the bowman (me) and the helmsman (K). After some effort the drifter is flying, we proudly admire our work, and we settle back into our dreamy lazy routine. Life is good when we are underway.
drifter is hoisted and made!
at anchor in the Yeocomico
K reaching along at 7 knots
Ghost Man Driving! gotta luv auto-pilot
During those lazy long sails in the hot summer life aboard takes on a different, surreal pace. I become mesmerized, almost in a trance, looking out at the water watching the pelicans dive on menhaden and watching the colors of the water and sky change over the hours. K likes to read and work crosswords in her favorite spot on the cushion chair up on the bow. Sometimes I activate the auto-pilot and go forward and join her up on the bow with a magazine. Or I get involved in small projects around the boat such as whipping the ends of any lines that appear to be fraying. Or I bother K by asking for help to make a sail change. For the past few days we have left our primary jib sail (a 155% genoa) rolled up and hoisted our yellow and white "drifter" sail which is a lighter fabric that will retain its shape in light air. Hoisting the drifter requires some coordination between the bowman (me) and the helmsman (K). After some effort the drifter is flying, we proudly admire our work, and we settle back into our dreamy lazy routine. Life is good when we are underway.
drifter is hoisted and made!
at anchor in the Yeocomico
Sunset behind Hooper Island after a full day underway.
2 comments:
thanks again for letting us share in your journey! :) I am from Wilmington, NC but right now we're on vacation in Delaware. Thought of Senara when we crossed the Chesapeake! Happy sailing! :)
Sounds like things are going great.
I'm enjoying reading about it all.
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