Against his better judgement, Ken V., organizer of the Puget Sound Sailing Group, had me skipper one of the J22's for our most recent outing at the Island Sailing Club in Kirkland. Against all odds, nobody died, mutineered, or even fell out and we didn't run into a single other boat. "Set the bar too low." says you. "Wildly successful!" says I.
We had some great wind that was reasonably consistent with a gust here and there. Learning my lesson from last time in bigger winds on these boats, we just hoisted the main and left the jib in a pile on the bow. Mat and Jake crewed and did awesome. Considering the vast amounts of experience we didn't have, I think we did a bang up job. Of course, the sail tuning worked a bit better after we disconnected the boom topping lift that was hanging off the backstay. The devil's in the details, isn't it?
We spent some of the day chasing Ken, Alan and Sherri on the s/v Secret Squirrel and the rest of the time ping ponging back and forth between Kirkland and Magnuson Park with an ocassional side trip down the inlets near Carillon Point littered with trappings of the ridiculously wealthy. (Jealous? Me?) After the sail, we threw down some drinks in Anthony's and watched all the strange comings and goings at the marina. Brides. Police officers. Expensive boats. A gaggle of pimpled prom-going teenagers.
Photographic evidence of a sea-worthy boat prior to the trip in case any later court precedings required it. (pic by Sherri)
Mat manning the tiller, Jake on the main sheet.
Steely-eyed skipper Ken. (pic by Sherri)
The crew continues to evaluate the sail trim.
Catching up to s/v Secret Squirrel.
Ken, Sheri, and Alan aboard the s/v Secret Squirrel.
Sherri and Alan cleaning things up. (pic by Sherri)
Thanks, Sherri, for letting me swipe your pics off the website. Oh, and I almost forgot - would you mind if I swiped your pics off the website?
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