Rob and I went out to watch the yacht club do their sundowner race. It was hot, and the breeze was near non-existent for the first go. It was like watching snails race. We jumped off the boat to swim and cool off, which was heavenly. The second round, we thought we'd try to follow behind, just to see what it was all about. Rob may have been bit by the racing bug. There were awfully big smiles as we "unofficially" caught up to some of the others. We have a lot to learn about sailing, but I think these little races will be a good way for us to do that!
At one point, we sailed out past the end of a point. Our sails were out all the way, as the breeze was so light, we wanted to catch as much of it as we could. Unexpectedly, a huge gust heeled us WAAAAAYYYYY over, nearly putting the jib under water! Cue mama panic mode! I pulled on that sheet as hard as I could, as Rob steered us into the wind to let off some air. UGH. There is no relaxing on a sail boat!
As we were heading back to the bay to moor the boat, our battery died... yet again. SOMETHING is draining that battery. We need to figure that out. Not that big a deal, except this time, there was a HUGE boat coming directly at us. They weren't about to change directions - that would be up to us, but our sails were put away, and the battery was dead! We tried to stay calm and work the problem. Luckily, Rob was able to jump the battery in the nick of time. My plan B was to quickly unfurl the jib to move us out of the way. Yet again we discover that sailing is simultaneously idyllic and terrifying, even on a protected lake!
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