Steven's First Sail

[Captain Smollett]

One of my joys as a sailor is taking people for their first time on a sailboat.  I've had the fortune to do this many times and it has always been very rewarding.  Here's my log/journal entry for June 27, 2004, when we took my wife's nephew Steven (then 14) for his first sail.

snip--

6/27/04

With Becky and Hunter, took Stephen for his first sail.  Good 8 kt E breeze, mid 80's.  Sailed off dock toward State Park.  Just W of Beaver Creek, rain hit. Lights worked!  Broad reached back and forth in rain (H, B and S in cabin).  Wind picked up to ~15 kt and veered S of E.  Beat back toward club - great sailing in rain!  Headed on up-channel past club for searoon; lashed tiller to go f'rd.  Very cool - boat did good and what a rush being on bow with making 4+ kts.  Wind died and got shifty as rain died; hove-to to get prep for docking; B,H and S came out; S took tiller and sailed us toward club; I dropped jib and we ghosted in; Docked under sail.

--snip

Not a bad way to spend a few hours on the water.  :)

[AdriftAtSea]

Not bad... A few days later, I took my friend's 15 year old son out for his first sail on a big sailboat—he's got the sailing merit badge and has sailed on Sunfish sailboats...

It was Friday, June 30th.   Our forecast was for 5-10 knots of wind, and rain.  When we got to the marina, it was blue sky and when we got out on Buzzards Bay, it was blowing a solid 15, and eventually leveled off at 20 knots.  Seas were two-to-three feet or so, and had built to four foot seas by the time we headed back in.

Since it was his first time out, I kept a double reef in the 150% genoa but used the full main.  Most of the day we were doing over 9 knots.  The top speed for the day according to the GPS was 14 knots.  Not too bad, if we had the full genoa out, I bet we could have gone faster.  :D 

This is really the weather that Pretty Gee likes.  Even though she sails well in light winds... she seems to be happiest with 20 knots of wind or so.  Even with the seas and wind, the two of us stayed nice a dry in the cockpit. 

I asked him if he'd crew again.  His answer was "Anytime, the sooner, the better."