To Sail or Not to Sail

Cadboro Bay was so glassy this morning that the reflections of the houses on the far shore could be seen in the water. And then it started to rain. With no sign of wind coming, the decision was made to send us to the gym.

I'm still not a big fan of gyms. The idea of trudging along on a machine when you could be outside exploring is not at all inspiring. I'm also not a believer that an intense weight workout is a good idea in the midst of an intense camp. I was mildly sore from yesterday and thought a little recovery time would be a good idea. The forecast was for 10 knots in the afternoon, so I wanted to save a bit for that. Maybe that's not intense enough. I'm still chicken about falling in and want all the energy I can get to prevent that. To keep the intensity up without wearing us out, I wish the coaches would do more instruction on race tactics and strategy. I know boat handling is the priority and without that we can't win a race. I think it would be helpful to learn tactics and strategy at the same time, in depth.

I'm also thinking that next winter, if I want to sail, I should go somewhere warmer. Then I won't be afraid of falling in, my toes won't get cold, and I might be able to convince some friends to come along.

In the afternoon the wind picked up and we sailed long enough to complete one drill - sausage drill - before the wind died completely. The drill was about mark rounding, but the course was a reach both ways. I would have preferred to work on a windward/leeward course. I did not do well at rounding close to the mark. I did fairly well at easing the sheet before rounding and keeping speed through the turns.