Sailing Again

Dave finally got to go sailing in Coquina today. I don't think that I posted about his dismasting last spring, because he was quite traumatized and we try not to post about bad things. The mast actually came down and broke when he was hauling the boat out of the water. The ramp and parking area are under a bridge and he retrieved the boat on a different side of the dock than he went in on. Just a few inches of incline from the bridge clearance made all the difference in the world, and the top of the mast hit the underside of the bridge. Luckily no one was hurt and the bridge was unscathed. I told him that he could make this another project, since he loves a challenge. A few days later, after mentally recovering (he kept saying. "I can't believe I did that! It's not like me at all."), he was rounding up a used mast, and since then he modified it and changed over all the hardware, halyards, etc. He even made it so the mast goes up easier, which is convenient since he sails alone most of the time. Today we took the boat down to Sandsprit Park to make the final adjustments and he went for his first sail, while I kayaked. Everything worked really well and just a few more modifications are required. We both had a fantastic time in Manatee Pocket. 

We are so glad we had our outing while we could. Christmas winds are going to blow and it is predicted to be unusually cold in a few days. It might even get into the 30's at night. Time to find our heavy coats and wait for Santa.😉