During the docking tutorial I learned about spring lines, which was extremely useful, and how to center the boat in the slip using reverse and turning the helm slightly to the left to counteract the prop walk. Rachel and I also did some side-docking drills at a fuel station at the opposite end of the marina. Learning how to handle the boat under motor - its reactions, its pivot points, how far it will coast - is immensely useful, if not completely frustrating.
After the docking lesson we turned up the channel and headed out to sea. As we were cruising out towards the breakwater the wind picked up to about 10 mph, with an occasional gust of 15+ mph, and everyone on the boat was visibly excited by the possibility of a good, windy day of sailing.
I was at the helm when we turned north at the breakwater, which is a long strip of large, cube-shaped rocks that are covered with bird shit and are home to barking sea lions. The sea lions always make me laugh. They are either asleep in the most uncomfortable looking positions or snubbing one another by nonchalantly looking up at the sky but keeping a hard eye on their pals, as if to say "Notice how I am not noticing you?" And because of these blubbery residents, the rocks smell horrible. The rocks also make me very nervous because, if you aren't paying attention to the wind, you can easily be blown onto them and crack the hull of a boat you don't even own. We cleared them yesterday.
The seas were small, only about two feet with the occasional wind chop and the water was a dark ash grey because of the overcast sky. I noticed the light would catch the face of the small waves and cause them to look like a reflective mercury, but the backside of the waves would remain a deep dark grey. The whole bay was covered with this great contrast of light and dark as we cruised around.
Dane, the instructor, is a great guy to have on a boat. He has been sailing his entire life and can read a boat like a book. He can also make you feel pretty damn humble about your sailing skills. For example, I would be sailing along with my sails trimmed how I wanted them and the wind exactly were I wanted it - thinking to myself "Yeah, I could totally sail to Hawaii if only I had my own boat." And then Dane would say "Point closer to the wind and harden up the jib. Oh, and move the traveler to port to create some twist in the main." Once done, the boat becomes alive, lifts up and flies through the water. That's when you realize you have a lot to learn about sailing.
As we were returning to port, a pod of dolphins swam past the boat. The pod consisted of about 25 dolphins and a few seals that were breaching the water, trying unsuccessfully to pass as dolphins. Their bark gives them away. Being spring, we also saw small, newly-born dolphins that were about the size of Anna. They would jump out of the water, spin in the air and land on their backs. So full of energy. The adults dolphins weren't so energetic and only came out of the water enough to expose their dorsal fin and the small hump of their back. If the newborn dolphins were the anxious teenagers of the bay, then the adult dolphins were the wise septuagenarians who know to just enjoy the stroll, but also can enjoy the youth of the young pups.
After another hour or so, we returned to the slip.
Since I was technically on a lesson, it was my responsibility to pull into the slip without breaking the boat into a million pieces and, more importantly, without embarrassing myself in front of the entire marina. Firstly, I forgot the slip channel where we were docked. Strike one. Then, as I was coming down towards the slip, I didn't put the transmission in neutral soon enough so I approached the dock a little too fast. But, remembering my docking lesson earlier in the day, I turned into the slip, aimed at the port corner, turned hard to starboard, then centered the helm with a slight lean towards port and gave the engine a tap in reverse to center the boat (Thanks for the tip Dane). All-in-all not the best docking in the long history of the sailing tradition, but certainly not the worst.
Here are a few pictures from yesterday's sail...
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