Main sailing

 Sunny, warm and windy.  We headed out from the marina to the ICW to practice sailing with the main sail.  Unlike the jib that we practiced with yesterday, the main sail is huge.  With sustained winds close to 20 knots I was uncertain how much sail I was comfortable with letting out.  Based on the boat manual we should be at 2 reefs with the main in those winds.  Our captain was comfortable at 1 reef and we tacked back and forth across the ICW between speed boats, pilings and anchored boats.  With the main we picked up speed to 6-7 knots.  Pretty cool but stressful.  Once we are out in the ocean with no obstacles, the main seems more practical.  


There were also technical issues since the lines haven't been used in a long time.  Paul had to use WD40 to free up some of the shackles and some of the lines needed coaxing to move.  We certainly learned a great deal!  We also had to dock with strong winds but our neighbors jumped in to help and it went very smoothly!  

I hosted our first dinner.  Baked my first apple pie!  It was a perfect way to end the day relaxing with friends, including Penelope! 




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