I got a chance to get out on the water this last Sunday with a bunch of new club members. It is way cool to see our PSC members ranging from High Schoolers up to septegenerians all here for the same reason - to get our on the water and learn more about the never-ending school of sailing.
The weather was warm enough to make you break a sweat rigging up, and we spent a fair amount of time doing just that. I still hadn't rigged our new vanguards by myself, so I took my time with my crewman and newest member Roy to go through all the nuances and knots necessary to make her seaworthy. After the last couple hints from Commodore Troy, we were ready to go.
Chris was our most patient teacher today, rigging two boats and sailing with the Schroeder family. He taught Anna and her friend to rig the Laser with care.
Navigating out of the marina was again a challenge in light wind, a common problem on sunny days. Once we all got out beyond the breakwater, the wind filled our sails and we were off! We pursued our junior sailors to figure out which is faster, the Vanguard, or the Laser? We're still not sure though. Once I chased them down I was greeted with the call of a wild sea lion. I looked around momentary, but after I heard Anna's laugh realized that her crew was the source of the wild animal noises. Kids...<facepalm>.
Eventually Roy had his turn on the tiller, which freed me up to take some more pictures. I snapped this timely shot right as Troy and Russ overtook us and Chris in the C-Lark. It is apparent that Troy needs to get some racing out of his system.
Inevitably on these super nice sunny days the wind leaves us. It left abruptly while we still a ways from the Marina. I also made the rookie mistake of forgetting to bring a paddle, so we just waited it out and sailed in on what few puffs of wind we could find.
Overall, it was a great day with an excellent turn out. I think our newest members are all making clear progress towards becoming upstanding skippers in the Peninsula Sailing Club. Hope to see you out there!
