Bareboat Charter Certified!

Since most of you reading this are in a place where the ground is white and temperatures can be measured in single digits, I won't talk much about our warmer-than-usual weather and pure blue sky.

Instead, I'll update you on our adventures. Jim and I & had our third sailing class Feb 18-19, which included an overnight stay with the instructor on a Catalina 309. This was like our final checkout to pull together everything we've learned, plus a lot of mumbo jumbo about diesel engines (which I understand is important, but difficult for me to learn in a crash course!).

Our destination was Cayo Costa State Park, accessible only by boat. Thank goodness we had an Iron Genny, because we used it for most of the 20 mile trip. Not as peaceful as any of us would have liked, but when you have a destination and daylight constraints you do what you have to do. We started the day with little wind, then when it picked up it was coming from the exact point we needed to head!

We anchored in Pelican Bay alongside a few other sailboats and a couple power boats. Part of the class was provisioning, which wasn't that difficult considering the hotel-cabin-condo-car lifestyle we've been living. And the boat had a grill - what luxuries! Jim grilled some tasty steaks along with veggie pockets which we enjoyed at the cockpit table as we watched other boaters roll in (a lot like campground entertainment). The captain retreated to his quiet corner down below while Jim and I watched the sun set over the island. With a day of fresh air and a full belly, none of us lasted long that evening.

Sunrise was our alarm clock Saturday morning. Several times on this trip I was reminded of my weekend with Kevin and Amber during the Kettle Falls Regatta when we rafted up to an island on our return. Those are such great memories. I was also reminded of camping as a kid as I was putzing in the galley. We could have skipped coffee this morning, but it's oh so tasty when cooked on the stove in a percolator and enjoyed topside in the cool morning air.

Our goal for this morning was to dock at the island and spend some time exploring the beaches before heading back to the marina. We've heard there are two kinds of sailors: those who've run aground and those who lie about it. I've had that experience a couple times, and Jim got his out of the way this morning. We made three (unsuccessful) attempts to reach the dock, but the tide was not in our favor and so we headed for home. Wind was moderate, and again coming from the exact direction we need to point - how does that happen!? Much to Jim's dissatisfaction we motor sailed back to the marina. Along the way we took the written test for this ASA 104 class, which I was VERY happy to get out of the way.

We both agreed the main thing we gained in this class is the confidence and validation that we know what we're doing and we're comfortable chartering a boat of this size on our own. And that was the whole goal of this winter! It is a really gratifying feeling to have written down a goal a few years back, found someone along the way to join me in that goal and clarify it even further, and achieve this step.

We are now truly gyp-seas! :-)