Day 180 Out SAILING!!!

We made it.  Finally out sailing!!! 

We spent the morning getting Zephyr ready to go.  Put off all the other projects we had planned and battened down as much as we could and had a quick lunch and took off about 2pm.  Winds out of the North at about 12 to 15.  Perfect for Zephyr.  Started the engine and out we went.

Once out, we set about raising the main sail.  Tracy pulled down on the halyard to raise the sail and I used the winch to make it as easy as we could.  It's a big sail and even with the new rigging, it's still a bear to get up.  Then out came the big Genoa sail at the bow.  Tracy pulled the lines that get it out and I slowly fed out the lines that pull it back in when we are done.

Suddenly, what we have dreamed about for months was a reality.  We were finally under sail on our own boat.  AND LOVING IT!!!

We were making great headway across a virtually deserted stretch of water.  A 

tug or two but we had the water to ourselves.  We decided to go for broke and put up the forestaysail.  That's the sail that is just back from the big Genoa sail at the bow.  With that up, we had every piece of canvas up that we could and Zephyr took off!!  The picture shows us up to 8.8 knots!!  That's a lot faster that we've ever been before--motor or sail.  The winds picked up to about 15 knots so we decided to "reef" the big Genoa sail.  Since it is on a roller furling system--pull a line and the sail slowly winds itself up making it smaller.  We took in about 25 % and Zephyr even herself out and flew along on a nice even keel.  Sweet as you please.

We stayed out till about 4:30 and headed back as we had a pumpkin carving party to go to tonight at Brion Toss's loft.  As we headed back to Port Townsend, the current in the water got faster and faster and the wind less and less.  I checked our computer navigation software and found the current was running about 2.6--2.8 knots where we where.  The knotlog--small wheel under Zephyr read we were going 5+ knots while the GPS on Zephyr had us going at 1.7 knots.  The current was causing the reading to be false on the knotlog but couldn't fool the GPS unit.  Since we had a party to go to , we fired up the diesel engine and took down the sails.  

First, the forestaysail.  The second one from the bow.  All down and bagged.

Next, the big Genoa sail.  Tracy let out the sails sheets.  That's the line that controls the sails as we sail while I pulled on the line that causes the sail to roll up on itself.  Zip, in she went.

The main was last.  We loosened the halyard and down she came.  A bit slower than I would have thought she should but still she came down and got stowed.

The engine took over and we were back at the dock about 5:45 and off to Safeway for a pumpkin for the party.  Tracy carved--the artist in the family.  I sat and observed everyone.  About 6 people came.  When some showed up, some left through the evening.  We took off about 7:15 and had a quick dinner at a nearby McDonalds and then settled in for a quiet evening.

The weather tomorrow is supposed to be even better than today so we should be out again seeing how Zephyr does under different conditions.  Boy, it sure is fun to get back on the water sailing.  It's been almost two years since we did any serious sailing.  Nice to know we still know how.

Stay tuned for actual sailing stories.  Yeah, that's right--no more "on the hard" stories!!!