I raised the sails and let the wind lead.
The boat slid through the water sloop style. Not schooning like a schooner. Not cutting like a cutter.
Five to ten knots of wind off the port beam, ahhhhh.... Ahhhhh until approaching on my starboard stern quarter was a motoring thirty five footer (sailboat) packed with a cockpit of dumb paralytic stares, a motoring thirty five foot sailboat going a little faster than my vessel under sail and jamming in closer and closer with the dumb stares. I had to fight not getting locked in the paralysis as the psychic pain betwixt my shoulder blades quickly inflamed. The entire dumb stare crew were determined to pass on starboard and jam in closer, they just needed to win this little race even though they were motoring. One of the crew then waved to me as they passed forward of my starboard beam (they were ahead) and exactly at the moment when my arm and hand started to rise up way less than halfheartedly to ape the wave return (I don't know why I did that) most of the crew pulled out white rimmed smart phones and commenced to tunnel vision into the tiny screens completely draining my aping waving strength, a strength already sapped by the psychic pain betwixt my shoulders. I then adjusted course a little to port to lessen the jamming effect and looked forward. Damn automatons.
A little while later a pretty wooden Folkboat under sail also approached from a little abaft the starboard beam. Our courses bringing us closer and closer and the Folkboat being the leeward boat (we were both on a port tack) I turned hard to starboard and maneuvered behind the Folkboat's stern. The crew of the Folkboat waved and said thank you. I waved back, smiled and said "you're welcome". According to the Navigation Rules, when two sailboats are on the same tack, the leeward boat is the stand on vessel and the windward boat is the give way vessel. I more than happily complied with the navigation rules.
I sailed about for maybe another pleasant hour or so until some obligations forced my return, obligations and also one of them there Rhode Island Summer thunderstorm squalls. I guess we can't have five to ten knots of breeze all the time.
Fair Winds
Captain Bill
The boat slid through the water sloop style. Not schooning like a schooner. Not cutting like a cutter.
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| Letting the Wind Lead. A ketch sails north of the Newport Bridge in late July, 2015. |
A little while later a pretty wooden Folkboat under sail also approached from a little abaft the starboard beam. Our courses bringing us closer and closer and the Folkboat being the leeward boat (we were both on a port tack) I turned hard to starboard and maneuvered behind the Folkboat's stern. The crew of the Folkboat waved and said thank you. I waved back, smiled and said "you're welcome". According to the Navigation Rules, when two sailboats are on the same tack, the leeward boat is the stand on vessel and the windward boat is the give way vessel. I more than happily complied with the navigation rules.
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| Making way back into port with a storm coming through, July, 2015. |
I sailed about for maybe another pleasant hour or so until some obligations forced my return, obligations and also one of them there Rhode Island Summer thunderstorm squalls. I guess we can't have five to ten knots of breeze all the time.
Fair Winds
Captain Bill
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