After moving the boat to Corpus Christi in mid-November, we were looking forward to getting back for our first time to sail on the Catalina 25. Finally, on Saturday, Dec 13, we went down expecting sunny skies and temperatures near 80. But, that is not the way it turned out. The wind was blowing hard during all of the drive and on Sunday, it seemed to be blowing even harder. We tried working on the boat but it was pitching around too much. So, we took a drive over to Port Aransas - rode the ferry, saw the Port A marina, and saw dophins in the channel. Pretty cool.
Late Sunday evening, it became completely calm. We were able to sit out on the dock and enjoy the lights and a glass of wine. At about 10:00, the wind suddenly picked up from the north and the temperature dropped significantly in just a few minutes.
Early Monday morning, it was cold and damp but the wind was calm. We took advantage of the opportunity to put the sails on for the first time. That went smoothly and it was great see the boat with sails up. By 10:00, the wind was blowing hard from the north again.
In spite of not being able to sail, we did accomplish quite a lot on the trip. The standing rigging is tensioned now. While we had the sails up, we figured out how to set up the reefing system and will be able to get that done on the next trip. We also got the radio antenna connected and were able to receive the coastal weather report "cold, windy, and wet." The new depth sounder is installed in the starboard side of the cockpit bulkhead. Unfortunately, the depth sounder did not work immediately and will require more work. We filled the boat's 17 gal water tank and are now able to use the water pumps at the two sinks. We also put fuel in the alcohol stove and used it to cook our first pasta dinner on the boat. Although, it was cold outside, we stayed very comfortable in the boat with a small ceramic space heater. Kathy found a very interesting book made from the diary of a sea captain's wife in the early 20th century.
2 comments:
Too bad you didn't get to sail, but at least it sounds like you're ready to go next time.
Hey guys! It was great to hear from you, and it sounds like things are going great. I look forward to introducing you to Jess, and being back in Lubbock for a while.
And I am going to get back to school, and finish this time... I was only venting that day.
Josh
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