[Rhodes22-list] 1st Sail of the Season

[Leland]

Whenever my boat is dry-docked, we seem to get unseasonably perfect sailing
weather.  This year I decided to keep my boat in the water and haven't been
sailing once since early November.  Today I swore I'd go out come hell or
high water.

The hellish part was mostly that my motor wouldn't start, but after losing a
socket and screwdriver bit in the water (I need a big magnet to fish those
things out), I was able to pull start the motor to life.

Temperatures in and out of the water were about 45 degrees, although even
with the wind chill I was quite comfortable in ski clothes.  We had some
gusts but the wind was pretty steady between 10 and 12 knots, and chop was
manageable at about 2 to 3 foot.

I had forgot how much fun sailing is.  I had the poptop up and too much sail
out for the conditions, but I never broached and the excessive heeling
rarely slowed me down below 5 knots.  It was that exciting kind of sailing
where it's more fun than scary.

As easy as the Rhodes is to sail it's still a two-handed job.  I'm
recovering from some minor hand surgery and it was not a pretty sight when
it came time to furl-in the sails.  Now that I know I can use my teeth to
hold a furling line, I may never need to put my beer down again.

Weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks even better.

Life is good.

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
Kent Island, MD

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