Last night’s training sail was about as good as it can get..what began as an inauspicious 2-knots (gusting to 2, according to NOAA!) built to a comfortable 10 south of the Colgate clock. We wound up with a nice, comfortable 10-degree heel for a good portion of the sail.
Four hardy newbies managed tiller, mainsheet and jib trimming with aplomb. It turns out that we have an up-and-coming grinder in our midst! She’s really fast: look for a blonde blur working the sheets of Great Republic next Monday, same bat channel, same bat time.
Normally we won’t bend on the Genoa for trainees. However, in yesterday’s strong ebb and low winds it wasn’t really an option to use the jib. Of course, the usual caveats with using the Genoa apply: visibility is severely restricted, so a sharp leeward bow watch must be kept at all times. The traffic picture in the Upper Bay can be very dynamic. Though we’re no where near as crowded as a busy sailing harbor like Newport, the combination of rubberneckers, joyriders, daysailors, professionals, fast ferries and big tugs can get noxious if you’re not managing things. What started as a friendly convergence of vessels can turn ugly fast when you’re bottlenecked off the Statue, unable to tack in light winds and getting tractor-beamed into the Green “29″ buoy.
Which brings me to a point that I’ll likely return to: rules of the road and “rights of way”. We learn how to determine our stand on privileges and our give-way burdens, but is it ever wise to “stand on” your “stand on” rights when you aren’t sure of the other woman’s intentions?
The guiding principle of all rules of the road is this: an orderly, predictable environment is a safe environment. All rules go toward affecting this principle. However, this rule principle can’t take effect when you have as many un- and under- trained individuals on the water.
My general take on the rules is this: when in doubt, get out of the way. Waiting until you’re two boat lengths away for the other woman to realize that she’s the port tack boat (and overtaking you, and upwind of you!) is a sure recipe for trouble.
“Getting out of the way” can mean significantly altering course. It can also mean “significantly altering speed while maintaining course”. I often accomplish the latter by simply undertrimming severely–easing my close-hauled sails to a position more appropriate for a run, for example.
It can also mean–hold your breath here–turning on the engine! How much does that cost you? Pennies. And if it keeps you from nuzzling up to another boat, you’ve made money as far as I’m concerned.
So let’s be careful out there. And never feel bad about using your engine to get out of a bad position–save the boat and motor away.
See you on the water!
