I think Ill call it harmony....

[Peters Wet]

Im a newbie, just purchased my first sailboat, a 78 Catalina30 and did a solo trip down the coast for 10 hrs to get to my haulout location for winter.
I waited for a fine day with light winds, 10 knots gusting to 15 and disappearing altogether on occasion. Seas were mild and the day perfect.

I was sailing wsw into the wind and enjoyed practicing tacking , and adjusting the sails as best as I could figure with my limited knowledge but as the day waned I realized I would be running late and arrive after dark if I didnt move along. I ended up sailing very close to the wind and had to motor sail on occasion to keep pace when the wind lulled , the unintended consequence was that I found myself going off track a bit and back filling the sail, even getting spun-around in a circle if I didn't pay enough attention to the tiller.
While this was annoying I got some great experience trying to find the "sweet spot" into the wind. I discovered a magical sensation when the sail would fill and the angle would be right and the boat would leap ahead and you could just "feel" you did it right , This sensation is addictive to me, I can only describe it as harmony between the wind,seas, sails and tiller.
I think Im hooked

[oldragbaggers]

Welcome to the madness.

[Cheechako]

Sounds like a great sail! Motorsailing is a way of life if you need to be there before dark! Now you just need an auto pilot.

[lilbabypenguin]

Sounds like an awesome, and long day! Congrats on your boat! My parents always had Catalinas, and I love them. Does it have that nice aft head configuration?

[Peters Wet]

Originally Posted by lilbabypenguin

Sounds like an awesome, and long day! Congrats on your boat! My parents always had Catalinas, and I love them. Does it have that nice aft head configuration?

Thanks, she has a head on the port side behind the vee berth

[Cadence]

Sounds like you are. Good luck!

[Atraxia]

As Oldragbaggers said - Welcome to the madness!!
It's an amazing one too!
My only critique: She's not a "it", she a 'her'.
:-)