My first sailing experience...

Every year, during crabbing season, we get out our crab pots and drop them out in the Sound for crab goodness. Last year, I never went out with Spike and Pixie-Brat because I didn't have a fishing license with all the nifty additions, like crabbing. Normally, I just get a freshwater license and call it good. This year, Spike bought me the whole kit and caboodle, so I've been going out with them to check the pots. In a wooden dingy, no less. So we row out, check the pots, and row back with any crab we catch and are legal, of course.

Well, yesterday, after Spike got off work, he had me drive Pixie-Brat and myself down to the marina where the dingy is tied. I may have mentioned that Spike races on a sailing yacht with a coworker who owns the yacht? Anyway, The Susan Skadi (skah-dee) is moored there at the marina. We arrived there and Ziggy was there. He was going to drop his pots out and said he'd take us out on the Susan, and do a little sailing.

Ok, Spike has told me "horror" stories of sailing with Ziggy, and the boat "washing the rails", or in sailing terms, "Heeling". This is when the boat goes sideways as it's catching wind and just ripping through the water.

I can swim just fine and I love to go to the lake to swim (when we lived at Summit Lake) but for some reason, when Spike takes me out in the dingy, I am a nervous wreck. I've never swum in open water and I'm terrified of sharks and getting stung by jelly fish...and basically anything in the ocean.

So Spike told Ziggy I'd never gone sailing before and suddenly, we're going sailing! LOL.

Things were cool. We motored out of the marina to drop the pots and check our pot, then we raised the mainsail and the jib, and were off.

The first time we heeled, it scared the bejeezus out of me! LOL. And after that, I was fine! I learned how to brace myself and everything was kosher. I even knew automatically to watch for the boom when it comes about.

Ziggy let me take the helm. Of course, he then goes up to the bow and LEAVES ME steering the boat. LOL. Luckily, he'd point in the direction where he wanted me to go and signal when it was just perfect. When the boat started to heel though, I got a bit panicky and Ziggy came to take over.

The only other time I kind of freaked out was when I was convinced to actually go out to the bow where Pixie-Brat was sitting. It was fine until the boat started to heel. I braced my foot on the rail, held on, and rode out the heel. After that, everything was just fine.

It was so FUN! I loved it. I probably would be scared to death to go out with them when they were racing, but I'd go out again if Ziggy invited us to go out again.

It's also strange that I wasn't nervous at all for the most part, but scared to death when in the dingy. I didn't even think about "what if I fell in" or whatever, but when in the dingy, if we ride out a wake, or Spike leans to one side and the boat leans over, I'm near panic.

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK ON THE PICS TO ENLARGE

Anyway, here's a couple pictures of the Susan. She was built in 1935 and is a wood hulled sailing yacht, 35 feet in length.

Spike and Pixie-Brat after we docked.

We saw this one while we were under way. I LOVE this, but then I'm Chinese and it's part of my heritage!
From what I understand, they're slow, but I LOVE the look of the sails!