Update from someone with 5 weeks left until we cast off.
The Venn diagram of conditions that make me happy to sail in, and conditions that make my family happy to sail in has a very small area of overlap. This means that for all of us there is an expectation that we will only enjoy a minority of the actual sailing experience.
Moli really powers up in the 15 to 25
knot range with full
sails up - So this is the range where no. 1 son (10 YO) gets happiest.
At 8 knots we ghost along at 4 knots and keep her pretty flat - This is where the 8 YO daughter is happiest.
10 to 15 knots we are sailing comfortably, especially downwind, and this is where my wife actually enjoys the sailing. Especially if it's sunny.
All of the above has been inside a big bay with no swell. I can't wait to get out into the long ocean swells - That will make me happy. Except if I'm worried about others getting seasick / nervous / not having fun.
So we are all moving to the view that the sailing periods are going to be mostly
work, with the odd period of enjoyment thrown in. It also means accepting that we are going to be lots more cautious with the
weather than I'm used to, and that we will probably
motor more than I'd like. (I LOVE the moment when we turn the
engine off and have the relative silence).
We have all developed a mistrust in our
Delta anchor - it seems to only set well in bottoms that are so soft that it drags at full throttle reverse. So we're
buying more chain and a third (Bigger, newer anchor).
We have got better at handling the boat - my wife can comfortably sail, tack, gybe in 15 to 20 knots without me, put in first and second
reefs etc. But that has only moved the nervousness along a step. Stuff that goes wrong still mostly depends on me, and my wife is still worried that she could not get back to me if I fall
overboard in more than 15 ish knots. I need to learn to wear a harness and slow down, break the habits of being fore
deck crew on
racing boats.
We have also spent / and are spending a lot more than expected in setting up the 'house' side of the boat. Upgrading
solar /
batteries /
holding tank / boat covers is taking a heap of time, and doesn't tick the 'fun' button for me. Luckily
money isn't a big problem, but I like doing stuff myself so I can fix it later, which takes time.
So what have I learnt?
Just
learning how to sail is only a very small part of the overall work - but it is also a massive hurdle for someone new to sailing to get over.
Learning how to
cruise, and how to set the boat up as a house is a lot of work for someone used to hot bunking in a
race for a few days, then getting drunk on land. (I'd say my learning curve in this area has been at least as great as my wife's learn to sail journey.)
There is no substitute to getting out and doing stuff, then coming back and talking and reading about what went on. "Why did you put more backstay on?" "Why did we accidentally gybe?" "How do you know how high to point" "How do you tell if the
anchor is set" "Why can't we watch TV if the
battery voltage is at 12.0?" "Why won't the
toilet flush"
Mike