2026 Sail #2 - A quick sail with just the main

We were already in the third heat wave of the season and it was only mid-June. The forecast called for high eighties (over 30C), high humidity and sustained winds of 10 knots. The winds were forecast from the north so we decided to sail with the mainsail and jib and see how Rosalind behaved with that sail combination in those conditions. It did not take us long to get Rosalind ready to sail. We left the dinghy at the morning and started motoring out the river.

The wind forecast from the north was funneling down the river from the Chesapeake Bay actually blowing from the NE in the river. Motoring down the river, we had the wind off the starboard bow for the first one and a half nautical miles and with the wind from the NE It became clear that would have to motor all the way out if we wanted to sail back. Not wanting to motor into the wind for almost another hour, we decided instead to unfurl the main, turn around and leisurely sail back to our mooring. 

Slowly sailing up river took less than an hour, confirming that “great things can come in small packages” and Rosalind, with her cleaned bottom easily glided through the water on a broad reach. With only the main up we were not breaking any speed records but the easy sail felt rejuvenating. The previous week we had been working on installing the v-berth side paneling and cabinets and it felt great to be on the water and taking it easy.  

With ten knots of wind, Rosalind was easy to maneuver so we leveraged the opportunity and decided to sail back and pick up our mooring under sail, without using our motor. As we got close, watching Rosalind’s speed, we planned our course through the mooring field. We wanted enough speed for maneuverability and to reach the mooring, but at the same time, we did not want too much speed so as to overshoot the mooring. Approaching KittiWake on her mooring, we decided to leave her to port (go behind her), giving us a little extra time and distance to slow Rosalind down. After passing KittiWake, I turned Rosalind into the wind and Cheryl went forward and grabbed our mooring. As Cheryl secured the mooring pendant on the bollard, I watched and waited for Rosalind to swing to port and then furled the mainsail. 

Rosalind’s track to her mooring

After buttoning up Rosalind, on our way to shore,  we stopped by to say high to our neighbor on Sureya. Simon, commented: “You went for a sail but I did not hear you come back,” I replied with a small smile “We sailed back to the mooring.” It felt good to sail back to the mooring, continuing to enhance our boat handing skills. Another great sail.