Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Sailing. Again. Finally.

Tonight I went sailing.
It's been a while.
Five years, to be exact.


* not the boat I went out on today - this pic is circa 2002...

I used to race out of Lorain on a 45' Hunter. It was fun - a bit of a drive on Wed'y evenings, but worth it.
I stopped when my schedule got wonky and unpredictable in 2003, and haven't really gone back.
It's weird to be a sailor who hasn't sailed in 5 years.
Just like its weird to be a singer who hasn't sung in 2 years.
Other things come and go - and it's hard to maintain everything I'm into on a consistent basis , but the things I'm committed to keep rising to the top - which is good.

Anyway, a friend hooked me up with her boss who is big into sailing here, and I caught a ride on 24' Ensign Class out of the Edgewater Yacht Club... quite a bit smaller than the boats I'm used to, but a bit more nimble.

I think I'll learn a great deal more about reading wind and waves - the skipper good and used to newbies and was patient as I remembered what the following things meant: halyard, jib, traveler, tack, puff, clew, kite, leeward, shroud, boom vang... shall I continue?

It was very windy, so windy that we lost our competition to the bar (in sailing a bar means, well, a bar... like with alcohol).
The waves were such that I got soaked through, but I remembered how much I love being on the water and am glad I'm back on a boat.

Of course, the post-sail margaritas and burgers don't hurt much, either...

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