Ahoy! This week we have hoisted our main sails and launched into a week long beginners sailing course. Every evening after work we have set off windward across Vancouver to get to Jericho beach for our 6pm – 9pm lesson.
The first day started with some theory and lots of new vocabulary. The wind was pretty high, but once we’d learned the ropes on dry land, our instructors allowed us out on the water for our first attempts in “Escape” dinghies. The following day our instructors decided they liked the cut of our jibs and upgraded us to “Zest” dinghies, which have attractive lime green sails.
The weather has been consistently hot this week, but not consistently windy. On Tuesday we followed our instructors quite a long way out into the Burrard Inlet, where the wind promptly vanished. Ollie immediately got cabin fever, but Rosie was happy singing sea shanties and looking for seals. Eventually our instructors towed us all back to port with their motor boats – how embarrassing.
Wednesday went without a hitch. We sailed at close-hauled, broad reach and beam reach, avoided irons and even had a bit of a run before the wind gave up again. Rosie did some ramming – partly because she was inexplicably going faster than everyone else, but mostly because she wants to be a pirate. At the end of the lesson we purposefully keeled over, to prove we could right our boats after a capsize and get back in – this was actually much easier than with the kayaks last week.
We were excited on the drive over on Thursday, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing! But apparently it was blowing far too much for beginners. We were left high and dry for the whole lesson, doing some more theory and listlessly sitting in the boats in the yard.
Today is Friday and we are writing this before our lesson. Currently the conditions look like this:
Our instructors said that 12 knots was the maximum we should be venturing out into by ourselves, because we are still very bad at sailing. This evening we will be supervised, so hopefully they will give us some leeway. We are looking forward to getting some final tacking/gybing practise in and passing our course with flying colours.
We’ve been doing the sailing course with Thom. On Monday, Hannah came to watch and caught our first attempts on camera – thanks Hannah! I think the near miss with the windsurfer looks worse than it was.
The Sun will be far over the yardarm by the end of our last lesson – so we are planning to go for a beer at the beach bar after (if we can stay awake long enough!). Hopefully we won’t feel too groggy in the morning.
Roaming Rollie 
You look like you are bowline along nicely in that boat! I am glad you managed to figure-eight out so swiftly. I hope Rosie’s pirating skills weren’t too overhanded, and you found the treasure respectfully. Rolling around those cloves must have been a really privalhitch.
… My brain hurst. Sorry there has been a bit of radio silence these last couple of weeks. I hope the puns have made up for it.
Looks like you had a great week, but I am dubious as there is no mention of any travel sickness!
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I’m knot impressed
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It’s a shame the Rangers who keep a eye on you are not Mounties, Nanamum wants me to point out you have not provided a pic yet (she was upset to hear they do not ride horses anymore except in ceremonies).
There is a Bottle Sling knot. If there is a dingie class called “Time” please remember that being drunk in charge of a time ship is a very serious offense, they tend leave you in a planets stone age and tell you to evolve into a more responsible life form.
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I still haven’t seen any mounties! Maybe we will see some when we go into the city centre to watch the Euro football final at a pub on Sunday.
There would be no chance of being drunk in charge of a Time dinghy, you would spill your beer way before you managed a sip!
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