For reasons mysterious to fathom, the family formed a fleet. Mimi is the admiral. Papa is the captain. Anne is the quartermaster. As quickly as we can, we train the grandkids as sailors. Admiral Mimi has already issued three of them certificates as boatswains, following their first trip out onto the lake. Be warned: when you visit, we may take you out as well!

Stormrider was our first sailboat, a Rhodes 19, a classic racer from days past. Admiral Mimi enjoyed sunset cruises on this boat, and Captain Papa and Quartermaster Anne spent many a happy hour searching Utah Lake for prizes to pillage. Stormrider taught Captain Papa quite a bit about sailboat and outboard motor repair and maintenance; she proved the adage that there is nothing more expensive than a cheap boat. When Captain Papa eventually figured out how to adjust an oddly sized jib, Stormrider turned into a breathtaking day sailer. Unfortunately, by then we were already making a transition to a different sailboat.

Wind Dancer, an O'Day 272LE, replaced Stormrider, and is safer for the grandkids: larger, with a deeper and self draining cockpit, lifelines around the boat, and a warm cabin. The 272s were designed as coastal cruisers, but this one’s nav, autopilot, toilet, water, and stove don’t work, and the trailer’s lights and brakes are long gone. However, for use on Utah Lake she has most everything she needs, and in the winter a dry storage area is just across the parking lot. Also, she’s rigged to be easier for single handed sailing. It’s likely that this boat has a secret longing for an asymmetrical spinnaker. That kind of upgrade would require climbing the mast to install a halyard, though.

What’s next? Who knows. But if the map says “hic sunt dracones,” we’ll be looking for them.

We always wear PFDs. Always. We take care to avoid getting our hands injured by the lines, especially at the line winches. Also, we like to use the marina’s bathroom just before getting on the boat, we should probably apply sunscreen before getting on, and we bring our water bottles.

On Wind Dancer everyone learns how to work the boat, because we’re all crew. Here is a mini-lesson: People know that wind pushes things along, so it is easy to assume that sailboats move by being pushed along by the wind. That is true if the boat is sailing downwind, with the wind coming from behind. However, modern sailboats can also sail upwind, not directly into the wind but at an angle into the wind. By magic! No, by wind pulling on the sails instead of pushing on them. Just as an airplane wing generates lift that pulls an airplane upward, airflow over properly shaped sails generates lift that pulls the boat forward. We manipulate lines to adjust the sails to the optimum position for the direction we want to travel. We can’t sail straight upwind, but working together we can zig zag (“tack”) at an angle back and forth across the direction the wind is coming from, and thereby make our way upwind.