Got to sail today!

Got to take the little boat out on Lake Washington today. Everything worked out perfectly. The new hardware worked great. Did not find any leaks. So that is a really good thing!

It felt so great to get out on the water. To hear the wind. Feel it on my skin. To hear the sound of the water as the boat was sailing along.

The feeling of being able to move around with a sheet of fabric and the wind. How it feels when the boat is moving pretty fast and heeling over to its max. Then just a little bit after that to be trying to get the boat moving forward in a slight little breeze!

Sailing under gray skies

Today Tina and I where just spending time together out on the water. So we didn't have any destination in mind. We just sailed where the wind would take us. It is so much easier to sail that way. Sometimes the wind is blowing in the absolute worse direction for where you want to go. It takes some skill and work to get the boat to go the way you want it to.

There is nothing like the quiet sounds of the sailboat moving through the water. It is just so peaceful and calming. It is just so easy to relax and enjoy.

I love the gray clouds.

Being that we where crazy enough to take the boat out on a day that it was threatening to rain. Being Tuesday might also have had a little something to do with it as well. We only saw 2 other boats out today. It was so nice and peaceful having the place to our selves.

I just love how amazing and beautiful this area is. I love all the water and green. I just love that there is just so much to do and see around here.

What a typical Washington day.

This little boat has been amazing to us. We still have the original Reinell sails that came with the boat originally. The boat is said to have been built up in Marysville. The sails where made right here in Seattle. Unfortunately both the boat manufacture and the sail loft have gone out of business.

I really like that I own a little peace of something that was built and made right here in my backyard. The boat was built in the early 70's. It is still going strong and working really well. A good amount of work and effort and this boat will be really great.

The original sails.

It was nice to experience something different. The wind changed quit a bit. We got to reef our main sail for the very first time. Still need some more practice doing that. I didn't think it would be so hard to work with a little bit of the sail with the wind. Man it is very hard to deal with the sail and the sheet. Then to tie up the sail with the boat moving and the sail moving around. I luckily seriously learned why they say reef early!

The other thing we worked on today was to heave to. I expected it to be pretty easy to point to bow into the wind. Adjust the tiller, and be able to basically come to a stop. Well this little boat was having none of that. So we will need to keep working on doing that.

Our mainsail is reefed.

After our day out on the water it was time to put her on the trailer to take her home.

All tucked onto the trailer ready to go home.

Every time I am out there on the water, I just get so much more into this. I thought it would just be a little something we would do. Like going rollerblading, or going to the gym. It would just be something we would go out and do, then be done with it. It is so much more then that. It is just so wonderful to be out there on the water. To be able to get ourselves around with just the wind. It is fun and interesting learning about this boat. Learning about and working on all the stuff involved with a sailboat.

I am looking forward to learning new things. Learning and working on new skills. On being able to make this boat something special and unique to us.

Until next time.