second time first solo

6/23/06: 4 hrs: I finally decided to take the boat out, against everyone’s advice not to. I got tired of waiting for a motor that worked good enough for someone to go with me. I wasn’t worried about sailing as much as getting in and out of the canal or the fact that the wind could stop blowing and leave my boat drifting out to sea.

I hooked up the old electric motor, which had failed the first time I went with my neighbors. I motored out, pulled up the main and just started going. The wind had strong gust so I found myself hiked out over the side real fast. I did a couple of laps up and down bogie channel, learning how the boat feels.

The wind died down when I was down south by US 1. The wind had been blowing from the west so it had been real easy going perpendicular with the wind, known as reaching.
After a while of very little wind, I decided to roll out the jib, the front sail. That was cool but nerve racking, because now I have 2 sails and a rudder to control with 2 hands, but you got to learn sometime. Maybe not on the first time, but I’m an adrenaline junky and I needed a fix in the little wind.

The wind started picking up again but it was blowing from the north this time. That means I have to sail into the wind. I have to tack back and forth with the jib up. The 1st one was just lucky, the 2nd was me realizing how easy an explosion could occur, the 3rd one was lucky, the 4th one I was getting cocking, 5th one was sloppy but manageable. I was literally figuring this thing out as I went. I was completely stoked. I was hiked way out and the boat was leaned over so far I could see my whole center board, the keel on big boats.

I got back in without a hitch or an explosion. Very successful trip.