1 May 2008 - gentle and fun sail

estimate 12 nautical miles

May day is a public holiday in Cyprus. The communist society march through the town to bands and the rest of us have a day off. As an aside, these are right wing communists, nothing like the communists of Eastern Europe that I knew of old.

So... I took a day off sailing. Richard [yes, both of us were Richard today] and I sailed up to the beach past the fishing village. Had a bite for lunch and then sailed back.

The wind was against us sailing outward and with us sailing back. I find sailing with the wind more difficult than against the wind. Neil had suggested that gybing was not good for the standing rigging of the dinghy, and suggested going about through 270 degrees instead. My standing rigging needs replacing... but next year. Anyhow, this going about through 270 degrees is pretty difficult I found, especially when the waves were against us - what tended to happen was I tried to go about and then the waves would push us back. So to start with I would try to go about and the waves would push us back and I'd end up on the same broadreach, with a kind of muddle in the middle.

What I eventually found is that the way was to bring down the centreboard, change from broad reach to tack and then go about and then back to broad reach and then bring centreboard up... preferably all in one smooth movement. Nearly got it licked by the end.

Richard graciously said that he learnt more by seeing me do it wrong and learning than he would seeing someone do it right first time!

When we got back the 470s had been out and they said they had been out all day. Claimed to have been to the airport and back... twice! [...and stopped for a beer at Finicoudes!] I chatted further about the sailing with them. We talked about capsizing - they were askance that I hadn't yet, and then mentioned that they do regularly and have lost a lot of stuff that way. I'm not sure that 'losing a lot of stuff' sounds a great idea, and after what happened with Neil and Paula I am not at all sure its a good idea. Later in the season we will do a deliberate capsize to check everything works on the masthead bouyancy etc, but not while the sea is so cold.

We talked about spinakers too - maybe one day I will go out on one of the 470s and see how its done.