Two Too Many

Which of course, refers to Three Henschels in a Boat.

My parents visited the West Coast last week.  One highlight of the trip they’re still talking about was driving 400 miles on a dirt road through a forest fire.  When they got to San Francisco, I took charge.  We went to the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Conservatory of Flowers, dim sum, up to Sonoma and Napa for wine tasting, Jack London State Park, and of course, sailing.

They enjoyed themselves immensely.  My mother was extremely frightened at the idea of going under the Golden Gate Bridge as she’s heard terrifying stories of how dangerous the currents are there.  So, I took them to Raccoon Straits instead, which I believe is much more dangerous, and told her it was more dangerous while we were in the middle of it.  OK, so I’m a little passive-aggressive, but she started it. 

Dad had a great time, and we only had 2 “discussions” about proper sailing technique. We had a difference of sailing opinion:  I believe in using the mainsheet to control the boom because the mainsheets job is to control the angle of the mainsail (attached to the boom), while Dad believes in sticking his arm up and letting the boom hit it.  Despite being an engineer, he doesn’t always quite get that stronger winds = more force = more chances of breaking your arm if you try to use it to halt the boom while jibing or tacking.  He’s used to Rhode Island winds, which you generate yourself with a handheld fan. 

The weather prediction for that day (August 14th) were gusts up to 35 knots, which can make for some dicey sailing, so I decided to sail on reefed main alone.  I love my new mainsail with the reefing points.  So much better than the old ghetto sail.

However, the 30 knot winds never materialized and we were having difficulty tacking upwind to get back to dock, so I got to show off my mad sailing skills by singlehandedly attaching, hoisting and trimming the jib in under 5 minutes.  Without, I might add, falling off the boat.

We sailed around Alcatraz as well and saw a dolphin, as well as a ton of very confused sea lions.  I think their thought process goes something like this “We leave the Bay to you guys on Saturday and Sunday, but the deal was that you’re supposed to stay off it Monday through Friday.  Why are you invading our timeslot?”