Another Day in Paradise

Folks,
The last couple of we/s I have managed to get out for a sail at Mannering Park sailing
club where they set really big courses on Lake Macquarie.
I would guess the legs to be well over a nautical mile and the cats share the course with
yachts who also sail out of this club.

They set triangular courses which can be fun if the breese is not too strong to carry
the kite (one up) on one of the reaches.
Last weekend I had some of the best spinnaker rides ever along one of these reaches.

The breese was very steady at around 10 knots and varied in strength only very slightly.
To make it even better it was nice and sunny with a temp of around 26degC (79degF).

Each time I sailed the reaching leg I had to be on the wire trapping just behind the side stay
and with only the gentle variation in strength along the leg would allow me to pop the windward
hull and jump out on the wire at the start of the leg and keep the hull around 2ft off the water
and only put it down when it was time to drop the kite at the end of the leg.

The very gentle variation in strength would have me run slightly above the rhumn line in
the lulls and slightly below when the breese was slightly firmer still delivering me right to the
mark at the end of the leg each time.

With the legs being so long I had plenty of time to take in the thrill of sailing one up in
such great conditions and ereally savour the moment.
Each time I sailed this leg it was the same.

The stuff that dreams are made of- Kind of reminded me why I love sailing so much.

I was planning to sail tomorrow; but it's snowing; so I'm going Skiing instead!

Phill

Thats not a dream !

Thats a fantasy !

Like I told you, if you can't prove it, it didn't happen.

Tony

Tony,
OK, So pinch me and I'll wake up and go back to the hum drum life of sailing without a spinnaker.

But who could ever forget the feeling of sailing
One up, on the wire, with a kite in such great conditions----What a Blast!

Sorry Guys to disturb your dream, but what do you mean if you say "on the wire". I can't understand this expression.

Ragards, Michael

just means he was using the trapeze

Phill, how did you get them to set the B mark at just the perfect angle to be able to do that? Seems ours are always set too low on the first leg and too high for the second.

Timbo:

Just coming back from St. Croix on short 4 day job. Going to try to go to http://www.heinekenregatta.com/ for my birthday. Ever been? Check put pics in St Croix post.

Doug

My father used to live in St Martin (on a boat in the lagoon) and I've been there once during the regatta. I was not sailing but I did end up with a friend of friend of my dad drinking free sponsored beer, and given the name of the regatta there was quite a lot of it... I only have vague memories of it, I'm going to blame it on the fact that it was a long time ago