Sometimes sailing isn't picture post card perfect and many times conditions are not ideal, but we still launch our boats anticipating the thrill of another sail. Although we were going through a serious heat-wave here in Wisconsin, we loaded Wrinkles up Friday evening planning on staying on the lake until after Wednesday the 4th of July. Friday evening we waited for the temps to come down to a bearable level before we hauled out the groceries and other essentials for the week.
It was nice to take our time, not worry about rushing, and still make it to the launch before dark. All was going well and we were on a record pace for rigging when a car pulled up beside us in the lot and wanted to talk about the Com-Pac line. Of course we had some info to share. Needless to say, we finished our launch in the dark. No problem, we are on vacation, and don't have to get up early in the morning. We set the sails and were once again reminded why we like night sailing. The water was calm, the moon was almost full and the lights around the lake provided a shimmering spectacle.
We found our favorite anchorage completely empty, so it didn't matter where we dropped anchor. One good thing about the hot and dry conditions - no mosquitoes. We were able to sit in the cockpit and enjoy the sounds of the critters on shore settling in for the night. We opened up the portholes and put the screen in the companionway, and wished we had a screen made for the hatch.
Like we said, we didn't have to get up early, so we didn't. To our surprise, we slept in until about 9:00. After a leisurely breakfast it was off to sail. Unfortunately, the wind was already done for the day. Try as we might, we couldn't find much wind. However, we did find that it doesn't take much wind to move the 23. Since our real goal for the day was to sail across the lake to get a front row anchorage for the fireworks, we headed straight across. By noon we were anchored and swimming in the water.
It was hot. Despite the bimini, we needed more sun protection, so we put up a bright orange sun shade that came with the boat. Hey, it's not always about looks. When it is approaching 100 degrees, shade is shade! The fireworks were unbelievable, again. We were here last year and vowed we would return as often as possible. We were not disappointed. The show started off with a fly-over and then sky jumpers with smoke trails marked the spot for the fireworks. The fireworks were choreographed and set to music. This year was a tribute to Whitney Houston and included several of her hits. To Brenda's delight there were also several songs from her high school band days, like Pictures at an Exhibition, Fanfare to the Common Man, and of course both of ours favorite, 1812 Overture.
Sunday morning we were slow to pull anchor, but were treated to favorable winds. We played around with some sail settings and got ourselves accustomed to the sailing characteristics of the 23. It is definitely a more tender boat and it took several gusts before we relaxed a little and started adjusting sails and turning into the wind rather than just dumping wind. We never fail to learn something new each time we sail. The 23 sure heels more than the 19. Maybe our new mainsail will help with this. We anchored up at the Union and went out for supper on State Street. Ok, so we were looking for someplace with air conditioning. We decided on State Street Brats again because we knew we could sit there for a long while without bothering anyone. On our way back to Squint and our dinghy ride back to the boat, several people commented on how cute Squint was (or as Mike refers to her, "Squint, the famous racing dinghy").
Monday was the best sailing day yet. We cruised back and forth, circling the weather buoy and chasing down a pretty boat with tan bark sails to chat with the skipper. Our youngest son was in need of a water fix, so we picked him up after work and dunked him in the water quickly to cool him down. Then we went sailing on the headsail alone and found that the 23 really doesn't want to tack on a headsail alone. Next it was off to dinner at Captain Bill's, a waterside restaurant. Friends called and joined us for a pre-Door County sailing trip planning session. Can't wait!
We anchored out because our son wanted to swim and take Dad on in a fishing challenge. The fish won! We stayed close to the launch so that we could drop Matt off in the morning so he could go to work (hehe). As it turned out we were not far behind him. The forecast called for another day of 100 degree temps and winds gusting to 30mph. We called it quits and pulled out while the getting was good!
Another successful adventure aboard Wrinkles.
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