December Sail

This is a holiday week for Peter and me, and we have been enjoying the time off.  After a very relaxing Christmas at home, we drove to Bainbridge Island on Tuesday afternoon to visit with family there.  Peter's brother Mark and his family are visiting from England, so we had a great evening catching up with them.  Eric and Eamon were there as well and I particularly enjoyed learning about recent career successes both have had, and listening to their engaging stories.  Such handsome, articulate men in this family!

But the real treat came on Wednesday, when we went for a December sail on Ablissian.  Early in the day we debated whether to go out, as the forecast was for 20-25 knots, with gusts to 30.  But the decision was made to go out and take a look.  We had the rare opportunity for the brothers to sail together - very hard to pass that up!  It wasn't actually raining yet, and it was very warm - in the low 50's.


We got the boat ready while Hailey, Naomi and Becky visited at the dock.  After a little hesitation, Naomi came aboard and looked around Ablissian.  She was clearly very comfortable down below - on a nicer day I think she might have enjoyed a short sail.  But we left her on the dock with her mother and her aunt, and off we went.



Because of the wind, we raised sails in the harbour just short of the ferry landing.  We reefed the main and flew the staysail.  Nothing for me to do but enjoy the ride with three experienced sailors on board.  We headed out through the channel, tacking in to give the ferry room to pass, then set course for Blake Island to the south.  We avoided quite a few floating logs, likely due to the high tides, and spotted a seal watching us as we passed the red nun at the channel entrance.  The winds were pretty steady at 22 knots, with gusts, but I don't believe we saw 30 at any point.  Ablissian once again showed us this is what she was built for.  With the reduced sail, she was strong and steady at about 5.2 knots, heeling comfortably.  It was an exciting, but uneventful sail, the best kind.  We had periodic light rain, but because it was so warm, it was very comfortable in the cockpit.

We had tea and debated how far to go south.  Mark and Simon took turns at the helm and we worked our way down to the southern tip of Bainbridge, but decided to circle back to the north rather than going around the island.  We took a quick peek at Blakely Harbour on Bainbridge, then cut between Blakely Rock and the shore and headed for home.

Once back in our slip the rain picked up so by the time we had the boat put away, we were all soaked.  So of course we stopped in the pub for a pint as we talked over the day and started plans for our next adventure - hoping for a more extended sail before Mark heads home, next time on Boadicea or with both boats.

This morning I was greeted with an email containing a photo Eamon took of us heading out yesterday - he was on the ferry that passed us.   Ablissian looks so small in this shot - heading out in the grey, rainy weather.

Yes, I am Still Here

How many times do I read favorite blogs with entries that start with that common apology, "sorry it has been so long since I have written"?    One of the challenges in starting a blog is that it implies a commitment to continue a blog.

Because I have so many commitments in my life (I'm sure you can relate), I'm not going to now try to catch you all up to what has been happening in my life in the last year that has made it difficult for me to continue my blog entries.  The short answer is that I started a new position at my company a year ago, and virtually all I've done for a year is work.  Good work, interesting work, but all consuming work.  So, little extra time to write.

But, I am happy to say, there has been time for sailing!  Ironic to read my last post on the Iceberg race last year, because we have just sent in our entry to this year's Iceberg.  In the intervening months we have certainly been sailing, and have been racing too.  Peter and I are learning more about handling Ablissian, and last week climbed to second in our class in a local race.  It was a significant race for us because we had a good start, we didn't give up (despite mid race doldrums that knocked us back), and we did a better job of dividing work according to capabilities.  (Stop smiling Peter!) What that means is I stopped volunteering for tasks I couldn't do well, and instead committed to tasks I could do.  So wish us luck in this year's Iceberg.  We are looking forward to even better teamwork!

I can offer a couple of high points in the previous 12 months.  Sailing in Pudget Sound is always a pleasure, and I have had so many great weekends filled with great sailing days and peaceful nights at anchor.  Our typical schedule is a drive from Portland to Bainbridge Island on Friday night after work, sailing on Saturday - either a night on the hook Saturday night or back to the slip, then an early start back to Portland on Sunday.  Sounds a bit hectic, but the relaxation achieved during those 36 or so hours away makes up for the challenge of fitting boat time into the weekend.  Periodically the Saturday sail involves a race, where we try out our skills and get to know our boat better.

On a personal note, I find it interesting that racing together brings Peter and I closer (after almost 30 years of marriage).  Peter is a much better sailor than me, but we are both learning and developing skills together, and the process is one we are both passionate about.  Examining the race as we head back to our slip, we both focus on how we can work together more effectively.

In August we took a real vacation and spent two weeks on the boat, cruising in the San Juan and Gulf Islands.  We have done some version of this every year for at least 10 years.  This year for the first time we partnered with Simon and Becky on Bodicea, and had the wonderful experience of sharing our adventures with close family.  So much fun to share anchorages, explore new territory and just sail together!  I hope this is a regular event every year.  Two highlights for me:  stepping from one boat to the other while under power (me doing the stepping, returning to Ablissian after an afternoon on Bodicea), and finding Bodicea in a sheltered harbor after a long day's sail apart. Gin and tonics with ice and swimming in the relatively warm water of the bay.  Lovely!

The holidays are now upon us, so we won't be back to the boat until just after Christmas.  But we are looking forward to some end of year sailing soon!

Nancy