I was taking a risk going sailing today: galeforce winds were forecast; I'd just completed major repairs t to the hull, and; I hadn't had a very good record with accidents lately. But I really feel snowed under by life lately and I really needed to push back, and go sailing.
To avoid the worst of the wind I decided on a sheltered launch site just to the SE of Lemon Tree Passage, Port Stephens (east coast of Australia about latitude S33°). To launch I needed to negotiate a sandy beach made wider by the low tide, but my Land Rover had no problems. Launching from a tilted trailer was smooth and stress free and most importantly, made no holes in the hull. I had not launched in this location nor using the tilt technique, but they proved t be a winning combination. I entered the water totally chilled for a change.
Bulls Island, sat just 100m. off the shore and made a shallow channel running in a NNW direction. It a natural harbour for moored craft and oyster farms, and with the wind light from The wind light from NNE I found myself tacking among large white launches, production yachts plus a converted navy craft. A handful of shanty-style houseboats lent a McBoaty feel. At the far end of the channel a sprawling blocked the airflow as well as concentrated the adverse tidal flow and we tacked backwards a few times before the wind gave us a hand. TILMAN was lo ging well; in the lulls she tried hard to hold her ground and as each little puff came through she seemed to accelerate and glide emphatically across the water. Abeam with the NW end of Bulls Island a vast waterway opens out; 7k. NS and 9k. EW, mostly accessible to the dinghy sailor. But just here the path to deeper water narrows and snakes to NNE across the breeze (now 8 knots NNE). Short tacking using my eyes as a depth sounder proved successful, well mostly with one touch with the cb. Try doing this in an expensive keel!
Exiting the channel I saw a keeler exiting the deeper channel east of Bulls Island. He was upwind (now NE) on the same tack, and our course were set to converge somewhere in the middle of the waterway. No other sails were about. I settled in, lounging square across the bilge, back to the wind, feet up on the downwind gunnel. Sailing pleasure has nothing to do with money.
Free of the concentrated tidal flow and fully exposed to a freshening wind, we both made great way. TILMAN showed the keel boat a clean pair of bilges, and once clear I sprang the sheets and smoked her. The wind now showed signs of the 30 knots that had been forecast, not more than halfway there mind, but more respectable from a meteorologist' s point of view. Rather than put the rig under strain, I let the main luff, but we still made the 3 kilometre reach to Dowardee Island in quick time.
Closing this uninhabited island O thought about going ashore, there were no mountains to scale Tilman style, (in fact it was very flat and mangrovey), but the oyster leases and rocky reefs provided enough discouragement. Over onto port tack with feet tangled on the mainsheet providing unnecessary excitement, and running off to close the SE end of Bulls Island. This course put us on a beam reach and we screamed along for 3 kilometres but for the first time today I needed to sit up on the seat and use my weight to hold her up. Tilman is currently a "no electronics zone" but I estimate her speed here at 6 knots, but would not be surprised if it touched 8 at times. Definitely, the Mirror' s bum-down running was more akin to a beach catamaran rather than keeler.
Navigating back into the channel by Bulls Island required a gybe of the main. If a dinghy is going to tip it will be when gybing, so I was cautious. I picked a moment with good boatspeed and a tiny lull in the wind and hauled the main onto the midline of the hull and eased her across, but the Mirror held course with the fearless stability.
So, what? Just 9 kilometres sailed overall, but for sheer pleasure this was a memorable sail. I'm thinking it was among my top three days of sailing ever. There were few comforts, no music or coffee, and I was alone, but the great pleasure of tacking among moored craft in light air, then blasting upwind in 10-15 knots of new wind and then running off on a fast and flat beam reach all made the sailing exhilarating and beautiful. There was just the boat, the sea and wind and no distractions: just pure sailing.
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