Frostbite Sail in Virginia Mountains

Ted Duke (tduke@cfw.com)
Sun, 22 Nov 1998 19:05:35 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Gang,

Would like to relate the story of yesterdays sail on Smith Mountain Lake near
Roanoke, Virginia. Haven't been sailing much this year because of other
obligations until mid August, and NO wind since then except a fair sail Labor
Day weekend, with an overnight. It has been DRIVING me crazy. Even spent 2 1/2
hours one Sunday "cleaning up and arranging the boat waiting for the wind; WHAT
wind?".

Anyway, wife had a Girl Scout all day event Saturday and I was going sailing
because the weather man said SUNNY and 55 degrees with 10 to 20 mile winds,
with gusts. I assumed (you know what that means) that 10 to 20 with gusts meant
MAX 20. Maybe that's what they meant. Asked my daughter (young married
schoolteacher) if she and her husband wanted to go. Husband was out chasing
deer thru the woods (can you IMAGINE freezing your buns out in the woods chasing
deer?). Becky and her friend Christa (another schoolteacher) decided to go.

Becky's TOTAL sailing experience had been with me at SML when we spent 45
minutes getting the boat in the water, the wind died, we motored a little,
raised the sails, sat and looked at the scenery for an hour, lowered them,
motored back and put the boat on the trailer. Christa had never been on any
sailboat.

Boat was at the slip. I let them get us ready, boom, outboard hose, sheets, jib
and main while I (the Skipper) untied and gave excellent commands. (BG) We
donned our lifepreservers. Wind was blowing from directly astern but blocked by
the point and some structures ashore. We pushed off and motored out a hundred
yards. Becky raised the sails with too many suggestions from the Skipper.
Christa had the tiller. I was next to her. I killed the motor and raised it.
We went sailing out of the inlet. After a moment Becky said "We are sailing" I
said yes we are. She said "I didn't realize how quiet it would be, I love it. "
Christa did too. Words that make the Skipper stand proud.

We got past the point and I realized the wind was pretty brisk, 15 maybe 20k.
We really sailed across the lake (southwestbound) , I would estimate close to
hull speed . Becky wanted to know if we were going to turn over. Christa
didn't ask. I said we were not, and that if I turned in to the wind or let the
sheet run we would slow, which I demonstrated just to build their confidence.
The girls loved it. We went as far as we could and tacked and came back, trying
to move upwind as we did. As is usual at SML, the winds shifted about 45
degrees so that we were heading almost directly upwind (happens every few
minutes) so we had to fall off a little. We had a great sail back across the
lake although not quite where I wanted us to go. Got back to the North side
somewhat above where we started, and tacked to continue further up the lake.
Settled on the new tack and a gust hit us hard. Christa had the tiller, but I
had the mainsheet, and eased it, or might be more accurate to say let it run
quite a way. No problem, but then the wind increased and I felt we had too much
sail. I manned the tiller while the ladies tried to reef. Having never done
this it was an interesting but not too succesful evolution. So, I ran in behind
the point and they accomplished the reef. We sailed under jib and reefed main
the rest of the sail. Was pretty good, although the wind died some and we
probably should have unreefed the main, but I tend to be cautious (we Naval
Flight Officers used to say in the Navy about our pilots "There are bold
aviators, but there are NO Old Bold Aviators") so we moved nicely but not with
the aplomb we had previously. I think that means we were sailing nicely but
not scaring the ladies or the SKIPPER. Wind was gustier than I expected but she
sailed nicely under reefed mani and jib. I am sure it never reached 55 degrees.

My main aim was to make sure they would want to go again. We sailed a total of
3 hours and then the wind decreased and we were COLD so we headed back.. I
practiced steering a compass course back to the inlet and estimate where we
would actually arrive. Found it easy to hold the heading, however the wind and
current moved us down lake somewhat further than I would have thought. We got
in the inlet and lowered the main. Tried to sail under jib up the inlet, but
the wind was dead ahead and when I tried taking back and forth it just spun us
around, so I started the motor and went to the slip.

The ladies loved it. Want to go again! I would like to encounter the same
conditions again with an experienced crew or one of my sons who have a little
experience and leave the main unreefed. I am not sure I needed to reef, but
remember the advice if you are asking if you should you probably should.

Hoping to get in one or two more sails weather and job permitting. It's cold,
but not too bad when the sun is out.

Question, I have never tried sailing under jib alone, is that an option in the
WWP19? If so, why did I feel that I was on a merry-go-round? Advice would be
welcome.

Ted Duke
WWP19 #626
Mountains of Virginia