I'm in the "club" now!

Finally got to use my new Bravo over the weekend!

Managed to get thrown off by a gust from a different direction. We laughed like crazy as it seemed to be a small price to pay for having all that fun. It was a new sailor's lesson in humility and respect for the power of the wind.

A couple of things I noticed...with the wind at my back, I landed a little hot a few times. After gathering my scrambled thoughts, I learned to heave to, or to simply reef the sail...duh! LOL!...it's a learning curve....

I got a skin burn on my knees the first day out, but after that day my movements must have gotten smoother because that was the extent of the injuries.

The sitting position was rough on my legs...my muscles weren't used to the position. I added boat cushions and it was perfect! Funny how a few inches can make all the difference!

There wasn't alot of wind, but for a rookie to get the feel for sailing, it was great. I now understand why you people enjoy speed! I caught a few gusts and the sudden acceleration is a rush! It was a fun exercise in observing "cause and effect".

It must be a new sailor thing, but even while driving now, I find myself looking at every flag I see and noticing wind direction and strength, imagining how I'd land and take off from shore.

I'm excited to think I have a whole summer to get better! The Bravo is a tough contraption and I think I picked the perfect boat for my needs and skill level.

Dave

Just wait until you start flying hull. It's a blast.
Have fun

LOL! Thanks tradisrad!

The few times the wind did kick up caused the hull to come out about half way....freaked me out to be honest with you. The whole sailing thing has been a fun sensory overload from the first day "baptism" to the acceleration.

Dave

"Sensory Overload" is a awesome term for small boat sailing and it is indeed part of what makes it so much fun.

in comparison, last summer I was at the helm of my brothers Catalina (27 footer maybe) and it was the first time I held the tiller of anything other than a small cat or dinghy in several years. It was a nice boat and don't' get me wrong, I'd love to own it, but quiet frankly I was getting a bit bored in the light breeze we had.

Other than the degree it listed, I just couldn't "feel" the wind on the boat. Not sure how else to explain it. Since we were just cruising the Halifax harbor while the crew (my brother and his wife) fought with rigging an uncooperative jib for the first outing of the year, I never once felt the need to adjust the main unless I was coming about, and to be honest, it just wasn't the same experience.

Of course I realize that if the wind had been up, it would have been a much different story. It would have been more challenging and eventually the grin factor would kick in. Everything is relative. Both are are awesome in thier own way. Racing (or just racing around) would be fun on any size boat but there is something extra fun (for me) about piloting a tiny boat that reacts in a big way to every tiny thing.