We pulled into "Bear's Glen", small park next
to hw 64 bridge. Bit more drive than my usual launching place, worse launching
conditions, but it get's you almost to the bridge so you can sail different
parts of the lake. Main reason to have a trailer sailer is to sail
in different waters, as we are
doing today.
There was a catamaran, probably a hobbie whatever,
setting up in the only nice shaded spot, they had just got the mast up, two guys
working on setting it up. "I'll show them!", me thinks. We pull up behind
them, and with Brian and I working together we had the boat ready in 5 minutes,
and pulled around them to launch. 30 minutes later we sail out of sight of the
launch ramp, and they still hadn't launched. Ah, the
joys of a Bolger boat.
Tried teaching the boy to sail, and
he did eventualy learn to keep the boat more or less going forward. Kind of like
a snake goes forward. Though to tell the truth, it took me awhile to learn to
hold a steady course in the puffy, unpredictable wind we have here in
central Oklahoma, too.
Brian
crashes below decks, and I set the boat up for self steering. The most memorable
part doing 4 knots or so to windward, exactly parrallel to the shore, using both
hands to put on sunscreen, watching the campers 100ft away on the shore. When
trimmed right, the boat will adjust it's coarse perfectly to the wind, head up
in the puffs, fall off in the lulls. She sails OK in the light air we had, but Ze boat, Ze REALLY
like'd ze wind.
Sailed up to the railroad bridge by Manford, probably about
10 miles, most of it beating to windward.
Ran back in force 3 winds. SWEET. Boat was trying to climb
over the bow wave, was doing at least 7 mph. A 10 mile run back to the ramp, at
least 20 other sailboats out by now. We are cooking along at just over hull
speed, running wing and wing. Now, THIS is sailing!
Sailed up to the beach and had to answer the inevitable
"What type of boat is that? Is is new, or old? You BUILT IT?". At least this
time it was a pretty girl
asking the questions. I even tried to be friendly!
Yanked the boat out
just as it was getting hot. Very nice day at the lake.