Dec. 21, 2010-A Good Sail Today

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Judy steers with the big sails up

You go,
you go out,
out to sea,
out to the blue sea,
out to the ocean.

You go out for
the sailing,
the fix,
the sailing fix,
the fix you need.

Out there on
the flat horizon,
the blue flat horizon,
where the wind blows,
where the sailing is good,
real good.

You put up the sails,
the big sails,
the really big sails.
and sheet them in,
sheet them in hard,
really hard.

You go up on the wind,
get right on the wind,
get really right onto the wind,
and then you’re sailing. Really sailing.

We sailed to Port Louis from Black River on Tuesday after a week anchored in that beautiful inlet on the SW side of Mauritius.

It was good to get out in the breeze and sheet the sails in hard. The power which comes on when the wind is up and the sails are in and we head up into the wind…that’s what gives me the sailing fix I’m talking about. It’s a great feeling and I need it once in a while.

The wind strength and angle surprised us though. The previous day a Beneteau 49 headed out and we watched as they found a light easterly outside the reef and took a good angle on starboard tack right up the coast.

We set sail today and when we got out the pass we found a northerly wind blowing instead of an easterly which meant a beat but we hoisted the big genoa and enjoyed the good sailing conditions for a while as we started upwind laying long tacks in the ocean towards Port Louis.

The wind was building and the genoa soon proved to be too much and we dropped it and while it was down we decided to put in a reef in the main. Sometimes you know what is going to feel right and what isn’t. Something told us that the small jib and a reef was going to be a better combination and it was.

We also set the baby stay due to the increasing chop.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Sailing Past Mauritius

Then for the next four hours, with everything ship shape and set for the conditions, we had a great sail in twenty knots of wind at 6.6kts boat speed and 40 degrees to the wind with sun, strong breeze, lots of spray flying and not too much pounding; it was true blue water sailing at its best. But it was tiring and after 18 miles and we were glad to crack off at the entrance to Port Louis and reach into the harbor.

By 16:00 we were tied up to the quay in La Caudan and ready for a cool drink and a shower.

But we’ll be ready for another sailing fix in a week or so.

Click here for more sailing shots.

Click here for photos of the fishing contest at Black River

Click here to see the log book pages of our sailing trips in December 2010

Fred and Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius