Lynne and I went for a sail with out good friends Vivian and Franz and their daughter Simone on Saturday. We got on the water slightly after 1300 and sailed up the estuary to Jack London. There we pulled down the sail and motored up the estuary while we had a great lunch prepared by Lynne.
Once we got all lunch leftovers stored and everything put away, Franz and I hoisted the sail. Winds were blowing from 15 to 22 most of the time. We tacked around the south bay and eventually made our way over to just in front of South Beach Marina, where we turned around and headed for home on a very nice broad reach.
I had hoped to stay on broad reach all the way home, but the wind shifted a bit and we were alternating between a full run and sailing by the lee as we approached the turning basin. Of course as luck would have it there was a cargo ship in the basin and all traffic was held up. As i tried to turn up into the wind, the main sheet got twisted around the lifesling. I was motoring up into the wind, with the concrete docks about two boat lengths off my starboard side when another sail boat started sailing across my path. I had to turn off the wind (with my main sheet still tangled up around the lifesling). Well, long story short, there was enough wind and pressure on the sheet to rip the lifesling off the bar it was attached to. Fortunately I was able to retreave it and then staighten out the sheet. We ended up dropping the sail, which I should have done earlier, and motored in the rest of the way, stopping to top off the fuel tank and pump out the holding tank at Jack London.
Viv, Franz and Simone all appeared to have a good time. It was fun getting together with them and we hope to do it again soon.
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