Not the calm sailing day we had hoped for

[Eddie Offermann]

So we have a friend visiting from Seattle for a bit under two weeks, having something of a working vacation. Our best choice for a day to go sailing, between her arrival and departure, my work schedule and her activities while in town was this last Saturday.

We had watched the weather predictions and it looked like it was going to be a brisk day - 10-15 kts through the afternoon. I was excited about the prospect of a good strong blow to carry us along... but as the weather picked up before we even got out, I was starting to doubt that it would be the easy sailing day we had planned for.

Marina Del Rey is an enormous harbor - I'm about halfway back, on Basin C, and the trip out to the breakwater gives you plenty of time to think. We saw small boats under sail fighting to keep control. We saw large boats with full crews reach the end of the main channel and turn back when they reached the breakwater. By the time we arrived ourselves, it was clear why.

The seas were much heavier than anticipated from the weather report, and the winds had grown - everything matching about a force 7. Near gale. We debated. We went for it.

I regretted it almost immediately - we were stowed for a fairly straightforward day - not this. Things began to be tossed from their normally secure stowage places. The tidy cabin immediately became a mess as personal items appeared as if from nowhere. Our guest had no sailing experience at all, and though she held her composure very well she later told me that she had thought to herself "So this is how it ends."

I've been in worse conditions on a smaller boat, colder and wetter and genuinely scared. This time was my first in such conditions on So Nice - and the feeling was very different.

In spite of being tossed hard and being tipped onto our side by a large swell hitting us broadside during a turn towards home that had us holding on to keep from being dumped into the sea (and which tossed more items out into the cabin floor and made the v-berth a mess), I never felt myself edging to the loss of control that I anticipated. Also - we remained remarkably dry.

We safely returned to the harbor after noticing we were the only sailboat fool enough to still be out - having watched the one other crew struggling mightily to wrestle control of their sails and make their way back into the marina.

We learned a bit more about how we'll need to stow for extended voyages. And we gained increased confidence in the stability and strength of this magnificent boat.

[bob mitchell]

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