Sailing Made Easier

Hard to believe, I know that twice this past month I sacrified great sailing for spending time dockside. When I could have spent two more weeks in the Bahamas I chose to come back to the brackish waters of the Intercoastal Waterway in my home waters. Then, just yesterday when I could have sailed the ocean blue from Ft. Pierce to Port Canaveral I again chose the ICW in order to come home day early. What has gotten in to me?


In the first case, I realized a 28 foot boat, even with its comfortable 8x10 patios on either side of the main hull, just wasn't seaworthy enough for my crossing the great oceans. So, I headed west from Abaco when I had a 98% chance of excellent sailing across the Gulf Stream; one can never be 100% sure of perfection. During those two weeks home I spent every day researching a more seaworthy multihull.


Just this past Tuesday when leaving for a 3 day sail and camp with my new sailing bud, Sherrie R.. we had a really tough time leaving the dock. There is a strong current where Turkey Creek flows into Palm Bay where SPRAY is docked. After 15 minutes of fighting to get out of the slip, I vowed, "This sucks and will never happen again."


Despite a beautiful sail to Ft. Pierce my thoughts were focused on ways to improve the docking situation. Afterall, despite the current, it is an ideal location to where I live and work. The dock is owned by a great friend and professional multihull sailor. It is great fun hanging out at his place. Besides, he's an excellent coach and freely offers safety tips. After a peaceful sleep at anchor on the north side of the bascule bridge I told Sherrie of my disappointment that it would be in our best interest to go home a day early and start working on a new docking system. That way when we want to sail off in the future it will be a matter of flipping a few lines and getting underway in about two minutes rather than struggle each and every time.


Moral of the story: When sailing at sixty staying away from hard objects - like docks and pilings -it is more important than an extra day of sailing. Funny how priorities change . . .