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What is wind?
Describe wind to a four year old. You can feel it but can’t touch it. You can see it moving flags or blowing leaves in the yard – in our case LOTS of leaves! Wind is air that is moving. “Why is it moving?” Hmm, well, wind is air that is moving from high to low pressure. There has to be a teacher out there that can help me out! My niece just walked away and decided to move on from this confusing conversation…
Sails up!
The wind is blowing – time to go sailing. Preparing the boat for a day on the water takes a little bit of planning and effort. We make sure things below deck are stowed in a fashion that will not fall, roll around, or move while on the water. We ensure the captain and crew have enough water and food for the trip as well as proper clothing for the journey. Even just a day trip can show changing conditions so good preparation makes the time out much more enjoyable.
Check & Double Check
While at the dock, we go through the lines required to raise the sails. Here we stow things out of the way. Now that we are going out sailing, I check the jib and main sheets. It’s time to get out all of the lines and put them to use.
The main sail is uncovered and stowed below deck. I attach the main halyard, and I also clip a bungee on the halyard to add some tension to it but still keep the mainsail down and not flapping all over. We have a roller furling jib, so I prepare the furling line to be taken in by the furler when the time comes to roll out the jib. Once these preparations are made and the sails are ready at the dock, we move on to get ready to leave the dock.
Open Water
Once we’re out on the water, always with life jackets, sailing gloves and sunglasses on, we wait to clear the harbor entrance by half a mile or so to give us room to maneuver the boat without too much concern for other boaters. I’ll decrease the engine power to keep the boat moving forward given the current weather conditions, and we motor slowly directly upwind. For now, Kara has been piloting at the helm as I get more familiar with our systems and methods to raise the sails.
Raise the sails, sea dog! We’re under way!
Mainsail First
I carefully go on deck, remove any remaining sail ties and the bungee on the main halyard. Then, back in the cockpit, I release the main sheet and start to raise the mainsail with the halyard by hand. Pulling the sail smoothly helps a bit here but soon the weight and friction become too much and the halyard goes onto its winch and the remaining 30% is raised with the assistance of the winch. Once the sail is up and reasonably tight (looser on calm days, tighter on windy days), I look to make sure the sail is not caught on anything and ready to sail.
We have our heading
Next, we bear off the wind and take up a course in which Kara pilots our first course of the day, while I trim the mainsail with the mainsheet. At this point, we are sailing! I quickly look over everything, then take the engine down to idle, neutral and then shut off the engine. An interesting thing happens – it’s immediately more peaceful. Things just got quieter, the wind takes over and SV Zeke E Boy begins to sail! The next step is to unfurl the jib.
Jib Second
Unfurling our jib is very convenient. Once the furling line in the cockpit is released, I pull on the jib sheet for the chosen course. If we are on a starboard tack, I use the port sheet to unfurl the sail and then pull the sheet in with the winch to match the trim of the main sheet and the course we have decided upon.
We’re underway
Typically, at this point, we switch helms persons and I drive the boat. Kara goes through all the loose lines in the cockpit; organizes and cleans things up. SV Zeke E Boy heels to leeward, picks up speed, and waves splash as she pushes her way forward. No engine running – just the wind and the waves. I’m with good company and a beautiful lake to explore!
“Now … bring me that horizon!”
— JACK SPARROW, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Enjoy the day!
Navigating while sailing is an active and engaging task. Keeping your bearing, watching the wind and sails, and keeping an eye out for other boats is something that makes sailing so enjoyable. We hope you can experience a day sailing on a lake and share it with us!
Tell us what you think
Do you have advice for me on how you raise the sails? Let us know what you think of our sailing adventures by sharing your feedback in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
– Kyle from Zeke Life
Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!
