A "Thank you" sail

9-20-2014
Sail #12

 We finally got to get back on the water in our Memory Maker after almost a month's lapse. Wow, where does the time go? Between work and no wind or bad weather the days turned into weeks and the weeks almost turned into a month. Cindy and I were both so ready to get back on the water!!!
 We had been hopeful all summer long that our "sailing mentors" Scott and Mary, would be able to make it down to Monroe to sail with us and after several emails back and forth we were finally able to set a date. All week long we all watched the weather forecast in hopes the wind would blow and rain would hold off. Our luck held out and although it was overcast the rain was still well off to our northwest. Since it had been a while since we had rigged the boat I thought it best that we head over a bit early and get her all ready and launched and then pick Mary and Scott up at the dock. That way if there were any issues we could hopefully get them resolved before they arrived. Since they were driving two hours to come sail with us I really wanted things to go smoothly.
 We arrived at the sailing site to see our girl sitting patiently for our return. You can't help but feel sorry for some of the boats that just sit and sit at the site longing to get on the water but no one ever comes and takes them out. Heck we feel bad each time we have to go off and leave our girl at the end of the day. Luckily all was well and after a quick shot of air in her trailer tires we were headed for the launch ramp. The launch went smoothly as Cindy continues to hone her skills on backing the trailer down the ramp. That is just something that is so hard to teach and seeing how she only gets a few seconds each launch to actually back the trailer I think she is doing great. We thought we had a little extra time before they would arrive so after picking Cindy up we went for a quick sail to dust off the cobwebs. We had no sooner reached the south shore of the lake and tacked back to the Northwest when Capt Scott called to let us know that they had arrived. They had made great time and were a bit earlier than we thought they would be.
 After high tailing back across the lake, which under sail is a oxymoron, we tossed lines to Scott so we could tie up at the dock. Quick potty break, as Cindy never passes up a chance LOL, and we were all loaded up and headed off. The clouds had broken up a bit and the wind was blowing steady out of the southwest at maybe 10-12. It was a perfect day to sail! We were all relieved when the raising of the sails went much smoother than the last time Scott, myself, and Cindy were all on board a sailboat together. Many laughs have been shared about our "first" sailing lesson with Scott and I am sure we will continue to relive that fateful moment for years to come. Who knew release the cleat meant release it and then let go of the rope?? Well now I do LOL! Scott was just so glad we did not give up sailing forever after that little incident. Instead it taught us many lessons like you can really screw up and still not sink a boat and how to respect the power of the wind. Most importantly it taught me that if it can go wrong it will go wrong, and usually OUT THERE!
 It was not long into our first leg that Capt Scott had assumed control of the tiller to see "how she sailed". It was really nice to get to return the favor to Scott and Mary by having them down to sail with us. Cindy and I have fallen in love with sailing and have so much to thank them for. Scott really seemed to enjoy sailing her and said several times how nicely she sailed. While Scott manned the tiller I went below to get beverages for everyone. After reaching the south shore we tacked back to the Northeast heading towards the causeway, wing on wing, so we could sail past John Mellencamp's house. Since we are all from the same "Small town" we thought we show Scott and Mary his house on the lake. It was just such a perfect day and we all agreed that we got very lucky to get such nice weather to finally get to sail in. It was just a very relaxing sail. There is just something so special about a sailboat, especially when you have friends aboard. You are able to move along with the wind for free, carry on a conversation with out yelling at the top of your lungs so you can be heard over a screaming motor, plus you can have snacks and beverages the whole time!
 After sailing past Mellencamp's house we decided to work our way back to our favorite cove so we could anchor and get the paddleboard out for the girls to play with. While that sounded simple enough with the way the wind was blowing it was going to take several tacks back and forth to get back down the lake. For some reason once you get to the causeway the wind gets confused and it takes a lil effort to get far enough away from it to get back into good wind. We finally broke away from the swirling wind area and were clipping right along. Cindy was on the tiller and Scott was very impressed by how much she had learned. He even noticed her feathering the tiller as she fell off the wind to fill the sails back up as the wind shifted a bit. He just looked back at me smiling as he said "Nice".
 I felt bad for Scott a time or two as Mary kept saying how nice our boat was and if his was that nice she would go sailing with him. Our boat really isn't that nice as she has a long way to go till she is where we want her but we do have the inside set up the way we want and it is isn't too shabby for an cheap old sailboat. Mary really liked our cushions and wood work. Scott almost always sails by himself as Mary just isn't into sailing. I can't imagine sailing with out Cindy. We are a team and work well together. While I have no doubt I could sail the boat solo I think to myself what fun would that be. We got this boat because we wanted to be together and sail. Scott loves to sail, you can just see it in him. The smile he would get when he would take over the tiller. His eagerness to help with the jib sheets when we would tack. It just shows. Plus he sails at home on lake Freeman, which from what he says is an awful lake to sail on, just because he wants to sail. While Mary told him several times to not hog the tiller Cindy and I actually enjoyed getting to just enjoy the ride for a while. I found a comfy way to lean back against the rear pulpit support and Cindy was enjoying her beverage in the sun so all was good.
 Once we finally had worked our way far enough down the lake to make it into our cove I had Cindy on the tiller as we sailed in to drop anchor. As we reached the point I wanted to be at I had Cindy spin us into the wind and dropped anchor. The water was pretty calm so no need to let out a bunch of anchor rode as I did not want it to get wrapped around the keel which would  result in me taking a swim in chilly water. I got out P2 and aired her up so Cindy could paddle to shore for a quick potty break. Mary was reluctant to give paddle boarding a try as she did not bring a change of clothes and was fearful she might wind up wet. So we stayed on the boat eating more chips and dip and had some good laughs watching Cindy try to get to shore without getting wet.
 Once safely back onboard and P2 put away I suggested we sail off anchor instead of starting the motor as we had good wind. Scott was excited to try it as I don't think he gets to do that sailing solo. As the boat drifted abeam to the wind I raised the main sail and then the anchor. We were moving forward before the anchor was even back on board. I raised the jib them scampered back down into the cockpit as we were trying to decided if we needed to tack or if we had enough draft to clear the top of the peninsula we anchored behind. It was going to be close and Scott asked if I thought we were good. I suggested a heading a bit more to port and just as he made the turn we heard the keel moving gravel ever so slightly below us. Just about then a nice breeze picked up and we healed over to starboard which tilted the keel to port helping it clear the bottom. It just a few seconds we were safely clear the tip and in open water. Scott was smiling as I think we impressed the Captain!
 It had been a great day of sailing and we really enjoyed having the chance to express our gratitude to Scott and Mary for introducing us to sailing. Although we could have sailed a bit longer they had to get back to take care of their dog so we headed back across to the dock so we could load up and head off to get something to eat before they headed back north. Cindy dropped everyone off at the dock and then I ran over to pick her and Memory Maker up. Retrieval went well and it was not long before we were all headed down Swartz Ridge road to the Scenic View for fish tacos. Well it seems that everyone else in the area had the same idea as they had a 40 minute wait. Unable to wait that long we ran back up the road to Trails Head pizza. We had never eaten there before but they had beer and pizza, what more could you ask for. Fortunately the pizza turned out to be pretty tasty and the prices were vey reasonable so it was a win win. I still wish we could have had the fish tacos at the Scenic View as they are really tasty but every one seemed happy with our back up plan.
 It was really nice of Scott and Mary to drive all the way to Bloomington just to sail with us. We hope we can all get together again and do it again. They have opened up a whole new world to us and expanded our horizons and play options in the summer. Like we need more play options LOL!
 Cindy and I went motoring aboard Memory Maker yesterday as there was no wind. We motored around the corner and anchored in a new cove just for a change of scenery. Cindy paddled about as I fished and cleaned the boat up a bit. After she returned we cuddled up in the v birth and took a nice afternoon nap just because we could. After coming to, I grilled us some dinner as Cindy struggled to wake up. After dinner I gave fly fishing on a paddle board a try. Talk about a multitasking workout! Even though I had several strikes but no catches it was still a lot of fun to do. We motored back to dock as night feel down upon us. Even though we could not sail we still enjoyed just being on the water together.  Had it not been for Capt Scott and Mary having us up to go sail with them in Michigan back in 2013 we might never have gotten to experience all the fun times we have had aboard our Memory Maker this summer! Thanks again Scott and Mary for infecting us with this disease that we hope the only cure for is more sailing!!!!