The weekend of many "firsts"

We took the boat out for the first time at the weekend.  Matt had the weekend off (rare) but the weather forecast was NOT looking good! We had gales in the week leading up and we were a leetle bit nervous about our plans.  Putting the kids off sailing for life wasn't part of the plan, but we just thought we'd go anyway and take it easy.

And it turned out fine.  We were going to head off Saturday lunchtime but Abell Point Marina - not renowned for it's depth - ran out of water so we couldn't get out! After checking the tide tables and marina depth chart, we turned on the sounder as we sat there in our berth and had 0.2m under the keel.  Not knowing the boat yet, or exactly where the transducer is mounted, we decided not to risk it, and took the kids over to Shingley Beach for a play and to let the tide come in a bit.  We bumped into friends there and the kids collected rocks on the beach ("this one's got glittery quartz in mum, look!").  After an hour we rounded the girls up to head back to the boat, explaining that sorry, no, we couldn't take the rocks back to the boat.  However the friends kindly offered to take them home for us! Arrrgh! "That's so kind" we lied, through gritted teeth.

We explained to Tilly and Sasha that we'd need them to sit quietly in the cockpit whilst we dropped the lines and got the boat out, which they did.  There was quite a bit of wind about (25-30knts) but Matt chose a bay around the corner (it took about 90 mins to get there) that was sheltered from the cold Southerlies.  The wind was dead astern the whole way and I wasn't keen on putting the sails up for the first time with so much wind about plus the potential to accidentially gybe.  We could put up preventers or alter course to get the wind more abeam but just decided to enjoy the sunshine and motor.  It was absolute heaven being back on the water.

The motion was kind and the girls loved it.  We showed them how to leave the cockpit and move around the boat (cautiously, stooped, one hand holding on at all times! Don't grab these, they're sheets and will wobble, hold these lifelines or these shrouds ..... ) and they took to it like ducklings to water.  Tilly found her place on the pulpit (Iron Will has the best pulpit) and spent ages up there, mesmerised.  While Sasha, who is currently convinced she has "special powers" was delighted to find that - when we had the auto-pilot on - she could steer the boat using these "special powers"!

We dropped anchor in about 6m of water with not another boat in sight.  Woodwark Bay is a beautiful area, only a few miles (as the crow flies) from our home!  We launched the tender for the first time - christened Little Willy or Wee Willy! - and Matt took the girls ashore for some beachcombing whilst I prepared dinner.  When they came back we enjoyed a spectacular sunset, and felt very lucky.

We passed an uneventful night at anchor, waiting for the wind to drop and it not happening!  Matt and I woke up a lot.  I felt like it was every 10 minutes but of course it wasn't.  I was confident we weren't dragging, and Matt had fixed up a snubber for the anchor, so it wasn't snatching too much, it was the wind generator! It's right outside our aft cabin and whenever a gust came through it was hum and buzz so loudly, and so fast, it would even set off the overspeed alarm! We didn't even know there was such an alarm!  Anyway, we survived the night.  The next day was about more beachcombing, covering Matt in the girls smelly socks, and lounging around enjoying life aboard.  Tilly and Sasha have found their fave spot below decks, the partition between the saloon and the galley, which is the perfect height for perching on, and also has a handy pole for swinging around on.

I have to say, we are loving the giant beanbag on the aft deck! This is my fave spot on the boat.

Eventually it was time to head back, in order to have enough water to get back into our berth at the marine.  When we left our sheltered bay, it was back to brisk winds, but on the nose this time.  In fact, so precisely on the nose that we would have had to fall off in order to sail.  I defer to Matt as skipper in all things marine - and am very happy to do so - except where sails are concerned, when he defers to me whilst he builds up his experience.

I was, as you may have gathered, nervous about putting the sails up.  I'd prefer to have had the standing rigging checked beforehand (we have it booked in - it's an old boat and one of the starboard forward swages is cracked) and I'd also prefer light airs for the first time, whilst the kids are on board and we are figuring the boat out.  So in the absence of these two factors, we chose to motor.  I felt like I was being overcautious and mumsy.  However, afterwards we found out that one of the backpacker boats, a retired maxi, had had a passenger airlifted off the evening before - they had left Whitehaven Beach and raised their sails, when one of the jibsheets got caught around a passengers legs during an accidental gybe and pulled her through the stanchions, causing severe injury and degloving her lower leg.  Absolutely horrific.  We'd heard one side of the Pan-Pan messages on the VHF whilst we were at anchor the night before, and later heard the full story.  It really brought home the dangers of sailing and the power of nature.

So we gently motored home, enjoying the sunshine and the spray as Iron Will nosed into the waves.  It was too wet for the pulpit this time, so the girls watched the water through the portholes in the cabin, looking for dolphins, and eventually fell asleep.

We berthed successfully at the marina when we got back, although we collected a small crowd who watched with interest as Matt maneuvered a large heavy boat through narrow channel into a tight space .... the steering is heavy and Iron Will definitely needs lifting out and having a good bottom scrub!

We were very sad to get back and no-one wanted to leave the boat and return to Sunday evening jobs at home and the real world.  Good thing we won't have to for much longer!