We are now sailors! Over the July fourth weekend we took a sailing course. It was hosted by the Seattle Sailing Club and was a part of the American Sailing Association’s accredited courses. We took the ASA 101 Basic Keelboat course.
We took the course with six other students, including our friends Angela & Perry. Our instructors were polar opposites. The main instructor was a crusty old sea dog. He walked us through our classroom time. There was so much to learn, it was like a whole new language. We had picked up our course text book a month before, so we had been studying. We finally got to go out on the boat with our instructor, a twenty-something laid-back sailor. We lucked out and got the nice boat, a fully rigged J80. We motored out of the marina and got into Shilsoe Bay in the Puget Sound. Once we shut off the motor and the wind took the sails, we quickly learned the appeal of sailing. It was amazing. It was also drizzling and overcast, which somehow made it a more authentic northwest experience. Then the wind died, completely. And we sat and sat. Finally the wind shifted directions and it was a lot stronger. We turned the boat into a close haul, which meant the boat was at a strong heel. Perry, the instructor and me loved it, the boat the leaning with the wind. The girls, not so much. All in all the first day was a lot of fun.
Day two was a short classroom time and then to the boat to keep practicing our change of tack and man-overboard drills. It was super sunny with a nice breeze, a perfect day for sailing. We had a little bit smaller boat with a much smaller cockpit, which made it harder to change tasks between the four of us. We saw a few pods of porpoises and the ever cute harbor seals. We came back in for lunch and took our exams. It was a 100 question exam and we had to make at least an 80 to pass. Not to brag too much, but I made a 100 and finished well before the others. Kim made a 97 and disappointed us. We headed back out into the bay to practice our man-overboard drills. Then towards the end of the day, we had an accident. On a change of tack, the boom swung around and smacked Angela in the face, cutting the bridge of her nose. Luckily Kim is awesome in bloody medical situations and went into action. Kim got her all cleaned up, as we headed back in. Was kinda a bummer to an awesome weekend.
We both loved being on the water and we defiantly want to continue our sailing courses and be able to take out a sailboat and feel totally comfortable. Check out all the pictures on Flickr.
