One of the benefits of being shackled to my computer day after day is that every so often I get to make friends via the internet. Thanks to a few referrals through SailMonster.com, WhaleWhisperer, a sailor from Monterey California, contacted me about possibly going sailing with her and some family members.
The email conversations began with Marie (a.k.a WhaleWhisperer) planning a trip to Tampa Bay and chartering a sailboat for a day sail with friends and family. She was looking for a local experienced sailor to help her out. I fit the criteria of local, so I offered to go along. The more we talked, the more my rum head realized that I had a perfectly good boat sitting in a slip down in Gulfport waiting to go. I suggested she skip the charter and we take Mariola out for a day of easy sailing on Boca Cieg Bay - it ended up being the heaviest conditions I’ve had Mariola in to-date.
The winds on Saturday, March 28th were 35+ Knots and gusting. Weather was reporting sustained at 40 mph when we left around 10:00 a.m., but ol Mariola can take it. With about 1/3 of the jib furled out and my T-shirt acting as a staysail, we zipped back and forth across the bay. Okay – FLEW across. It was a great time and great sail – WhaleWhisperer knows her stuff. Her parents John and Ginny had been left windless on previous sail outings and this one made up for it. Seriously!
After a couple hours of sailing we dropped anchor near shore and had lunch below. Marie brought awesome California style pasta salad to share, along with a special bottle of rum for the capn’. The day was a little to tricky to open the rum so we enjoyed great food, super company, a few beers and then headed in. It wasn’t long before we were back in the slip and Marie was sporting her well-earned (hey, she survived a trip on Mariola) PyratSail hat. Special thanks to SailMonster.com for bringing us all together.
