September 3, 2023-Sailing With Salomé and Ben and Martina

Salomé has been helping me work on Wings and we went sailing a couple of weeks ago. Now her boyfriend Ben has arrived and we decided to go sailing again so he can see what it is like.

We also invited Martina, my neighbor and her boyfriend Heiko, (but he declined). And we asked Rick from Eyes of the World and Ricardo (another Rick but he went by Ricardo) and Ricardo brought Caroline, so that made seven of us all together.

wingssail images fredrick roswold
FAKE photo with Salomé, Ben, Rick and Martina Unfortunately it was a big Instragram FAIL! Nobody took any photos on this trip so my shot, above. is a FAKE. I just made it up. But we had a great time. 

The wind was nice and we traded off steering, both Ben and Martina took a turn, with Salomé coaching each of them. (Salomé is quite handy to have aeound the boat and in order for me to help the new people know what to do, I just put Salomé in charge and she is a natural). 

Martina also trimmed the Kite and everyone went forward to take it down after our fun sail. 

The funniest part was after we got finished sailing and I had the beer brought up I asked Salomé to steer again, which she did, but she quickly said, "Why are we going this way, the marina is back there?" 

I answered, "We're dinking beer now, we can go in later." 

"OK" 

We also sailed into the marina before we dropped the main and started the engine, so we followed pretty much all of my sailing rituals. 

Click here for two more photos 

Fred, SV Wings, Mexico

August 21, 2023-I can sail again

wingssail images fredrick roswold
I can sail again

I can sail again. I know now. 

 For the last three months I have been afraid of how it would feel to sail Wings without Judy, so I avoided that.

The boat sat in the slip, unused, since coming back from Yelapa, in April

I thought about sailing single handedly but I had said to her many times in the last 38 years; “I have no interest in sailing singlehandedly”.

Of course I meant, without her.

But Judy is gone.

Now I have decided that if I sail it will not be single handedly, but only with another. It is the closest thing I can do to honor that promise I made.

Today I took the first step.

A young new friend, Salome, joined me and we sailed Wings.

It was a good day of sailing. We put up the sails and sheeted in and the water was flat and the wind gentle and Wings sailed well. Salome had the helm but we traded off some. We did some tacks.

Up by Punta Montoga we put up the spinnaker, and we jibed, not expertly but well enough. On the second jibe we got the sail hooked under the anchor, and we tore it. But it wasn’t bad and we continued.

When we took it down we got it in the water but it was OK.

We came in after a couple of hours and sailed into the marina under main as I always do, and when the motor would not start properly, I got it going.

After docking we folded the main and put the air conditioner on board then went below. I had a beer and Salome had a coke. Salome asked about Judy and I told her the story, what happened, etc. She listened and that touched me. I felt a connection, the first in a long time.

After Salome left I poured some Laphroaig scotch. I can sail again. I know now.

In the fall I believe most of my crew will rejoin and we will find someone to take Judy’s job. While it will be painful and we will miss Judy, we will go on.

Fred, Sv Wings, La Cruz Mexico.

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