Ops!

Yesterday after flushing the Water Maker, scrubbing out the Dink, and washing down the deck on Wind Raven, I decided to take the dink out for a sail. The wind was around 15knts and the water was pretty choppy. I figured it would be a good day to learn a little more about sailing the little boat. I got it all rigged up ready to go and headed out across the bay. My course would take me into the wind and against the current, which was running about 3knts. It was low tide and there is a sand bar about half way across the bay that is too shallow to cross. As I approached the sand bar and started to tack to port the rudder folded over in half. I released the sail to dump the wind, as I had no control of the dink at this point. While retrieving the broken rudder I drifted over the sand bar. With sail flapping I grabbed an oar and wrestled the dink off and into deeper water.


Broken rudder in stern of Dink!

 I started to sail back to the boat without a rudder. By pumping the sail so that it would catch the wind and the then dumping it I made short zigzags in the general direction I wanted to go. At this point I put the oars in their locks and under a port tack I used the starboard oar as a rudder, and vice versa. Upon approaching the boat upwind I came about and just as I was almost to it the current changed and swept Wind Raven beyond my reach. I released the sail and with it flapping in the now strong wind and stronger current pushing my away, I grabbed the oars and started to row. I was only about six feet behind Wind Raven, but it was touch and go for a bit as I struggled to catch her. There for a while I was in serious doubt that I could, but I finally did. It was a good thing as if I had not caught her I would have been in for a long trip to shore to await ebb tide!




Just another boring sunset!