My favorite time of day.

Posted By: Tim Sharpe P21 "Jenny Lyn"
Date: 7/21/08 10:14a.m.

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Yesterday the admiral and I went out toward evening for our first (yes, first) sail of the season. The wind was gentle, NW at around 6-8 or so. Motoring out the inlet the wind was astern, so I unrolled the genoa and cut the motor before we even got to the lake. Lynda stretched out under her umbrella with her latest mystery while I reached back and forth under main and 135, our speed going from about 2.5 up to 4.5 a couple of times. The lake was remarkably quiet, especially for a hot Sunday in July. The seasons floods still have left the lake levels very high, and there are no-wake restrictions in all the area lakes to avoid shoreline erosion. As a result, there are few power boats out (going very slowly), and sailors, fishermen, and paddlers rule the scene. You can hear people talking on shore and there are no wakes to disturb the tranquility. As the sun set over this peaceful setting, the sky turned ablaze with its series of red, orange and pink, but my very favorite time comes just after the sun sinks below the horizon, when the pink turns to purple and the lake adds a metallic, shimmering hue to this final burst of color, before it all fades to black. By the time the sun set yesterday, we had already tied up to the mooring, but I had to sit and watch the color show before calling it a night and rowing for home. Having been engaged in a very challenging class up until now, this was my first sail of the season. It is easy to forget how absolutely narcotic it can be to be on a boat under sail. I look forward to many more fixes before the winter chases us indoors once again.