Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Sailing with the Sock


Took some friends out for a mid December sail on the bay yesterday. I have been aching for a spinnaker sock for many months and we finally found a used one for $200. I was excited to try it out so we set sail for Tiburon with our 5 person crew and Kona. The wind was light to begin with but quickly built to 12 knots as we reached past Angel and towards Sausalito. It was an overcast day with the sun breaking thru only momentarily here and there. We stopped at Sam's for a stroll and a shot of Don Julio. Soon we were heading home and the sock was raised. Raisa was on the sock halyard and I was in the cockpit on the sheets. The sock was raised and the chute was a little twisted but she went up perfectly and what a lovely sight. My friend Dave raised his eye brow a bit when I mentioned putting the chute up. We have had more than a few misadventures on previous sails. As we headed towards Berkeley she was pulling us along at 5+ knots in about 10 knots of wind. I was loving it! We went thru the cut of the pier and the sock dropped perfectly again over the chute and it was time for a sunset drift. It was glorious. I am sooo happy with our new sock!!! An important tool for any cruising boat.

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