I went sailing with my friend Sandy for four days on the Chesapeake Bay.
Day 1. We set sail from Havre de Grace, Saturday around noon heading into the wind on a close haul, the boat heeled, I was at the helm-my first time in a heel. Phew! At first it scared me, but after some reassurance and bracing, I fell into a groove and it was really thrilling. We were in a 34’ Hunter and going at a clip of about 6.5 knots. So many things to keep an eye on and be aware of: making sure the wind is in the sails; the depth of the water, our draft is 5’; watching for other boats, staying on course, watching for crab buoys, staying in the channel. Sandy reefed the sail once and kept her trimmed; I was at the helm the entire day—it was exhilarating and exhausting. We tucked into Fairleigh on the eastern shore as the sun was setting. We threw anchor off some marshlands. It was the end of a beautiful day and we enjoyed the sunset over a glass of pinot noir while our tuna steaks cooked on the grill off the back of the boat. Ah, so sweet.
Day 2. to be continued . . .
