the last sail (again)

Cooler and windier than expected when I put in at the ramp Sunday morning.  I motored down the eastern branch of the Elizabeth, passed beneath the bridge and raised full sail.

Just three snowbirds were anchored in Crawford Bay.  They were all US boats, one from Maine, one from Delaware and the Wayward Wind out of Baltimore, below.  This appeared to be a low budget boat and a low budget cruise, and I admire that for a lot of different reasons.  Excuses are easy enough to find for not following a dream, money (or lack of) being a very convenient reason not to do something.

Later in the morning a few more snow birds passed through on their way south including this stout motor sailer out of Novia Scotia.  Any boat that sails the waters of Atlantic Canada has to be a stout boat, and that includes at least one Pathfinder that I know of.

By late morning the wind picked up and I was sailing with a reef tucked in.

And soon after I picked up my friend Paul for the afternoon sail we put in the second reef.  Breezy to say the least, but it was a warm wind out of the south that pushed the clouds away.

By mid-afternoon we were sailing under just mizzen and jib, one of my favorite sail combinations.  And so the sailing season ends (really.....this time I mean it).  Great sail, it was a lot of fun.  Thanks for joining me, Paul.

steve