It was one of those days, on a lazy beat with the boat doing a nice steady 5 knots and very little chop.
Halfway across the Strait of Georgia, I reluctantly reminded myself that it was probably time to head back.
Categories
Categories
Lovely Howe Sound
With a light outflow in Howe Sound, but very little chop, Madsu was doing a respectable 3.5 knots to weather. I had to switch from the baseball cap to the knit hat though – it was a bit cold in the drizzle.
Broad reaching with the 150% jib, Madsu was doing a steady 4.5 knots.
Categories
First Feet of the Season
Sailing was meant to be done barefoot.
Up until this weekend, I’ve had to keep my shoes on – just a bit too chilly for these dogs.
But today, despite the drizzle, marked the first barefoot cruise of the season.
Let there be many more.
Beating into the Strait of Georgia on a lovely spring afternoon. That’s Point Grey and UBC on the horizon to the left. Madsu’s under full main and the 100% jib.
This is a still pulled from video shot with my GoPro 2, mounted on a Horizon True gimballed camera mount on the pushpit (you can see the mount in action here). The mount is awesome.
There’s a short video from this day on YouTube and also on Vimeo.
Categories
Sunshine and Wind
An outstanding spring day on the water. With a westerly pushing in from the Straight of Georgia at about 12 knots, it made for a fabulous day sailing. Warm enough to be barefoot and in short shirtsleeves. Finally.
Categories
Family Outing
To celebrate Madsu’s new through-hulls, the whole family joined me for a leisurely afternoon sail.
And what a delight too – just a mile or so off Fisherman’s Cove we encountered a sea lion, then a mile later, a pair of Dall’s Porpoise circled the boat a couple of time before disappearing into the flooding tide. I gybed around to see if we could encourage them to play in Madsu’s bow wave, but I think we were probably going to slow for them. By the time I thought to get my camera out, they were gone, but their visit was a delight.
I take it as a good omen for the sailing season.
Categories
New Through Hulls
Madsu’s getting new through-hulls this week. A rare shot of her with the swing keel down.
Even a little boat like Madsu looks big up on the hard.
Categories
New Lifelines
Madsu is sporting brand new lifelines. Pip at Pro-Tech Yacht Services in North Vancouver put them together for me – he and the gang also did my standing rigging last spring.
Categories
Blustery Day
A deep sea makes its way up the Straight of Georgia inbound to Vancouver.
We’ve had a couple of very blustery days, and the surf was pounding again today. But while the sun was shining, it was a pretty fabulous day.
Categories
Slippery on the Foredeck
Madsu’s looking a bit cold – there’s even a bit of ice in the marina this afternoon – but temperatures are on the way back up.