Sailing with Crew

I haven't even mentioned sailing in three posts, and I think that's a new record! Partly that's because the weather in Boston has been rainy, rainy, rainy for the last several weeks and I didn't get to go sailing much because of the thunderstorms. I think I've only gone three times in the last month, and one of those times the wind was so light as to be boring so I took out a kayak instead.

One of the two times I actually sailed, though, I took Colin. We went on a Saturday morning in hopes of beating the impending storm. The wind was really light (but strong enough to go out), so Colin got to experience the joys of launching and landing a sailboat in close to zero wind. It's a long process that involves much drifting and a lot of time. :) Out on the river, though, the wind picked up enough for us to zigzag up and down for more than an hour. It was a hot day, too (by Boston's standards--it was probably only 83), so the breeze on the water felt great!

I sailed perfectly and didn't crash into anything or capsize. But here's what you need to know if you come sailing with me:

Because we sail little, tippy boats, you generally want your "crew" (or passengers) to weigh less than you. That way, you can control the keel of the boat or steer using only your own body weight. Guess what? It's hard to find anyone smaller than me, and Colin's a foot taller so he definitely outweighs me. I don't think he realized exactly how active a role he would be playing! Every time I tacked or jibed, I needed him to switch seats along with me to avoid capsizing. So there you have it. If you come sailing with a pint-sized skipper, you will have to set aside your dreams of sipping iced tea and basking in the sun because you will be bouncing from side to side with every turn of the boat.

Colin didn't seem to mind. Here we are after a successful morning sail:

The skipper.

The crew.