The day started out with very little wind then picked up nicley. Spent just under 3 hours sailing out to the Potomac then around Mattox Creek.
Century Club: AJ Batcheller
A strong breeze from the west kept me close to shore on Mattox Creek. I played it safe and didn't unfurl the jib.
A beautiful Sunday monring with a very slight breeze so I decided to take a quick sail around Mattox Creek before the wind picks up to the preidicted 20 MPH with gusts to 40 MPH.
Days like this one is the reason I fell in love with sailing. Gentle but steady breeze, the sound of the water lapping at my hull, just peace and solitude!
I was very optimistic about spending day 3 on the water. It was still pretty chilly with temperatures in the 40’s but the winds were much gentler than the day before. I motored out to raise the sail and guess what? I inadvertently reefed my sail with a newly discovered figure 8 reef. I sheepishly motored back to my dock, put Bente back on the lift, and removed the twists from the sail. Went back to the house, enjoyed a Mt Gay and had a good chuckle.
I got my Precision 15K named Bente, (pronounced Ben-ta, a Danish girl’s name meaning blessed), ready for the season which entailed putting the boom back on, loading safety equipment, (anchor, handheld radio, etc.) back on board, and made sure my Tohatsu 3.5 HP outboard started. I got out okay under power but had second thoughts about raising the sails as winds gusts were up to 20 mph. I decided to play it safe and just motor around Mattox creek for a bit. Even without the sails it was a bit of a challenge getting Bente back into the slip.
SpinSheet's Century Club’s Happy Hour on January 15th inspired me to try to join the club. It’s a little too early in the season to put my Precision 15 in the water so I decided to go out for a short paddle in my kayak on a chilly, 41-degree January Day.