Now it's summer!

I did it, you guys! I sailed for the first time in eight months. I sort of remember how, and I didn't capsize, either. 

Yesterday was stormy in the early morning, and although the weather improved significantly, the clouds kept threatening to rain again. I decided that bad weather was the perfect time to take a refresher course of Shore School, especially since I couldn't remember how to jibe or how to tell what tack a boat is on or, more importantly, which boat gets right-of-way. After two hours of class, I knew all of that again. The weather was 80 and beautiful by then, but the stormy wind remained. I snapped this photo when it was a blustery yellow flag, but partway through Shore School, CBI changed it to red and never changed it back. As you can tell, there weren't many boats on the water. (There were, however, a few in the water via capsize.) Not really a good day to try out my rusty sailing skills.

I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sitting on a bench (among the leftover puddles) on the Esplanade, people- and boat-watching. The Esplanade in the summer is my absolute favorite place in Boston. It might even be tied for my favorite summer place ever, along with contenders like the Arb in Ann Arbor, Mexico Beach, boat riding on Lake Seminole, and the front green at Brown.  Tough call.

The docks along the Esplanade fill up with sunbathers after the storm.

Harry Potter nerd alert: they're playing quidditch!

After my refresher course, I felt as ready as I'd ever be to take the tiller again. I was nervous, but I reminded myself that the worst that would happen would be an unexpected swim in the Charles River. I also channeled Manlio (remember the guy who threw me into my helmsman test before I ever sailed a boat alone?) and just made myself do it. I still hoped for a green flag, though.

As luck would have it, I showed up to see a yellow flag being downgraded to green! It looked a little stronger than I would've liked, but hey - what would Manlio do? I signed out a boat, hopped in, and off I went.

About that time, the wind DIED. Just died. Luckily I managed to "paddle" myself away from the dock by flapping the rudder, but then I just sat... and sat... and sat... I was essentially a fiberglass raft. I carried on a conversation with a windsurfer about 30 feet away from me, who was also unsuccessfully trying to sail.

About that time, a tandem kayak ran straight into me. (!!) Kayaks technically have the right-of-way over sailboats, but I had moved 100 feet in 10 minutes, and my sail was totally depowered. They paddled straight at me, then looked at me like, "why don't you back up and move?" I smiled apologetically and waited for them to figure out that I wasn't going anywhere--sailboats only move in one direction, and they only steer if there's wind. It was so weird. I suspect the paddlers were using Boston drivers as their role models for transportation etiquette.

After another five minutes or so, the wind picked up. I zipped back and forth across the basin, feeling totally proud of myself. I had no problem remembering how to tack--jibing was another story. The wind was, by this point, strong enough that I thought I might have to be that boat that makes three right turns to go left. I was doing my best to stay close to CBI (so they could see me if/when I capsized) while simultaneously trying to find an area without many boats where I could attempt a jibe without having to also worry about traffic. Eventually, I found an opportunity. And I didn't capsize!

Then in true shifty city-wind fashion, the wind picked up even more. CBI upgraded the flag to yellow, and I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed for my first day back. After 45 minutes out on the water, without any major mishaps, I was back on the dock. I couldn't believe it. I remember how to sail!

Today was a beautiful, busy day on the river. Tons of boats.