Somebody ("they"?) said to be proficient in handling a boat one needs "time in the boat." That sounds right to me and makes any time in the boat, whether it all comes together as planned or not, an opportunity to learn more, to improve one's skills. So it was last Friday.
With the Megabyte North American Championship now just three weeks away, I've been trying to find a time to get down to the venue for some practice driving the boat in a good blow over some steep Bay chop. Last attempt was thwarted by a little two much of the good stuff. So with Friday afternoon free, I checked the wind indicator at RYC and saw that the wind strength was steadily building. Add to that a lot of heat east of the foothills where I live, and things were shaping up. I guess I should have checked the temperature on the Bay, too. As I dropped down to sea level on Richmond Parkway, It occurred to me that my air conditioning was still humping. That's weird. Let's see . . . whoa it's 95 degrees here by the Bay. And, hot equals still. Crap. This is going to be a waste of time. Or, maybe time in the boat is time in the boat?
So, no, I didn't get to practice driving in waves, but I did get to calibrate my senses that will come together in some way to help me when I do see waves. I felt the spring in the carbon mast as I raised and stepped it; I measured the all up weight as I walked the boat down the ramp into the water; I learned where the boat catches itself when rolled deeply to one side; I saw the effect of fore and aft trim on my wake; I discovered the asymmetrical technique required to quickly turn the boat with rudder alone; I recalibrated the tug required to set the outhaul just so; and I built on the excitement of sailing this boat on that water.
Of course, in the more typical summer conditions on the Bay, the dynamics of all this will be different. Then again, maybe the North Americans will be a sloppy drifter, and I'll be perfectly prepared. ;-) Either way, I can't help but think I know my boat a little better than before.
About this blog
Well, this blog started out as a chronicle of the restoration, and adventures aboard, the O'Day Mariner, Mothra. But since then, and thanks to Mothra rekindling my love of sailing, it's often taken over with other sailing content. So be it. I'm having so much fun with the new Megabyte, I gotta share that, too.
2 comments:
And to think that I was in the Benicia Marina parking lot just looking out at the water with beer in hand when I could have been bonding with my boat. Oh well - I saved some $ on babysitter costs I suppose. Suffice it to say that Marcel-the-wind-whisperer was out communing with the light breeze.
Since it's been over a year when i was last out in my little boat, I'll sure be as rusty as an old gate by the time I get back out there and just spend some time with it again! :)
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