Racing a cruiser

The Nimble 30 has a PHRF rating of 225 which means that Pondera is about 100seconds slower per nautical mile than the faster boats in our racing fleet.  Just because she's not fast doesn't mean we don't go out and play on race day.  Pondera is surprisingly fast when on a beam or anything close to a reach - the extra sail area of the mizzen really pushes us along and if I'm single handed, raising the asymmetrical spinnaker and the mizzen staysail really gets Pondera going.  In strong winds its easy to reef the main down - reef lines are led to blocks on the cabin top - and keep the genoa and mizzen up.  This is called sailing 'jib and jigger' and keeps the boat really well balanced.  When the wind is but a wisp, I have a light weight blooper rigged on the foredeck that keeps us moving forward.

Here's some pictures over the past 3 seasons of racing my cruising yawl.

It's true. The best things in life are free.

The wind.

The wind is free.  I'm sure I've said this before, there's nothing better than feeling the cool breeze off the water, the wind filling the sails, the sound of the the jib sheets tightening around the winches, then the boat heels a bit, and you're off cutting a silent course across the water to your destination... bliss.

This blissful feeling can be amplified by the surroundings, the weather, and on this particular weekend of sailing, by my sailing companion.  Most of my sailing has been solo - and while sailing in itself is always fun and I'm sure to have a good time sailing on my own, this weekend was quite possibly one of the most enjoyable weekends I've had aboard a sailboat in a long time.  It was awesome to experience what I love with people who enjoy it as much as I do.

Entering Montague Harbour, Galiano Island BC

We set out on Saturday from Sidney with our destination being Montague Harbour Marina at Galiano Island.  Since it was a long weekend, I was pretty sure all the mooring balls would be taken in the harbour and there wouldn't be much room to anchor either, so a quick reservation at the marina a few days earlier meant that we could take our time and actually sail to our destination rather than motor.  Well, the sailing was awesome! the wind was right on our nose the whole time but tacking back and forth up through the southern Gulf Islands is a lot of fun. 

It took us about 4.5 hours to make it the 20 nautical miles to the marina and I got to do something I've never had to do before.  I got to parallel park my 30 foot sailboat in a 35 foot space between two powerboats, in a finger pier.  Fun.  I accomplished this surprisingly well, and also got to look like a superstar in front of my guest!

That night we had the pleasure of meeting a fantastic couple named Johh and Susan and they graciously welcomed us aboard their Gulfstar 37.  The generosity and friendliness of the people you meet out on the water never ceases to amaze me.  I love this stuff.

The night was calm and quiet.

After a lazy morning of sipping coffee in the sun, we shoved off at about 11am to return home to Sidney.  We motor-sailed for the most part until we got in to Captain Passage by Salt Spring Island.  Then the fun began! we had Pondera healed over, rail dipped and doing 5.5 knots for the better part of the afternoon run back to Sidney.  Like I said, quite the awesome weekend.

Back at the dock and secured, ready for the next adventure...