solarfry@aol.com wrote:
> Isn't is amazing how an unmanned sailboat can sail twice as fast as a manned
> sailboat? Makes you wonder... Hmmm.... Many of us think we can swim after it
> if we fall overboard...
East Coasties and Webgang:
SF's comments above remind me of two stories.
The first was when I had my first Hobie 16 and took it to Rehoboth Bay to sail it
(and learn to sail it, admittedly). After rigging and launching, I was surprised
at how easy it seemed to be to sail this multihull. I darted about the northern
end of Rehoboth Bay, ocassionally flying a hull. After about 2 hours and my head
swelled to maximum proportions (with me proclaiming myself the king of natural
sailors) I headed down the bay and began darting and chasing other boats. VERY
bad idea. When a large powerboat came out of the canal that connects Rehoboth
and Indian River Bays, I decided to get behind it with the idea of overtaking
it. As I passed through the first part of its wake, I had no problems and the
wind actually picked up enough for me to fly a hull. The 2nd part of the wake
was another story. You can see where this is going... The waterbound sponson
dug in when I began to plow through the wake and my heretofore "solved" sailboat
showed another side of itself by pitchpoling and throwing me completely off the
boat, in front and to the right. Then from the water, I got to watch as my only
partially pitchpoled Hobie 16 hung for a moment and then slid back nice and
proper on its haunches. As I moved over towards it, the wind caught it just
enough that it headed up slightly and began sailing beautifully back across the
bay roughly to the point where I launched it. (Good thing I had my PFD on.) I
swam across the bay, reaching the shore so tired that I could barely support my
own weight. The boat had beached itself one beach above where I had launched so
after catching my breath, I had the humiliating experience of walking the boat
back to the launching area, to the bronx cheers and absolute delight of the 5-6
other Hobie sailors there. "Hey Mulford! Nice sailing! Oh wait, you didn't do
it, did you!" "Yo Lars! Looking good on that last tack! Next time join your
boat in the fun!" Yadda, yadda...
The 2nd experience comes to mind was when I launched from Cherry Beach in
Sharptown, MD along with Francis Duranza, another P15 sailor. I hadn't had
"Always" for too long at this point. I had volunteered myself and "Always" for
taking some developmentally disabled adults out for a first time sail. That part
of the day went absolutely beautifully, with my new crew enjoying themselves and
the art of sail. The counselor who accompanied the folks did not sail but
elected to remain on shore. So when we came in and beached, I asked the
counselor to hold "Always" while my crew and I walked over to the dock to help
Francis bring his P15 in. Francis comes in and while I'm helping to tie him up
and secure his boat, I realize that someone is standing right behind me. I turn
and see the counselor, now behind me and observing what I'm doing. I ask them
nonchalantly that if they are over here watching me, who is holding and watching
my boat? The counselor turns to where "Always" should be on the beach and I hear
an audible gasp... At this point, I already knew... Without even having to
glance at the beach, instead I cast my gaze out into the Nanticoke River where
there is "Always", sailing on a broad reach downriver. This is a particularly
beautiful point of sail for "Always" and I was caught up in the beauty of it
momentarily before I remembered that she was sailing herself. Francis had left
to go to his car and when he came back, he too saw "Always" sailing away
downriver. Before I even had a chance to discuss things with Francis, he was
running to the end of the dock, shedding clothes all the way and then he leaped
off the end of the dock and began swimming strongly downriver toward "Always".
Thinking that this was not a good idea at all, especially since my boat was
looking as if she wanted to sail downriver for quite some time, I sent the
counselor to head up into town to fetch one of the local "county mountys". While
they were gone, the wind shifted and my boat compensated on her own but in doing
so, was now heading for the opposite shore, where she grounded in lillypads and
mud. Francis made it over to her and after struggling a bit to get on board,
sailed her back up to the dock as pretty as you please.
So it doesn't matter what your sailing skill level is, or how many years you've
sailed, etc. Sometimes, stuff just happens. The trick is to roll with it, learn
from it, don't dwell on it but don't forget it either. These things almost
always seem to make you a better sailor (and perhaps a better person) from the
experience.
And hey SF? You betcha unmanned sailboats are fast! WAY fast!
-- "Sea" ya!--Lars S. Mulford, President East Coast Potter Association (ECPA) Come visit us at http://members.tripod.com/~SpeedSailor "Forgive, and live. Life is worth the challenge of living." --LSSM "Love is good; Love hurts; Love sustains; Love remains." --LSSM
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