A Great Day for Sailing!
5 Aug 2026
With the repair of the cooling hoses fixed and improvements to the way the jib furling line is run forward, it was time to go out and give it all a try. Winds were from the south and predicted to be 8-10 knts. The direction is great because the York River runs east-west. Long runs up and down the river are easy, not requiring a lot of tacking.
So off Major and I went. The engine ran fine and maintained a cool temperature all the way out into the channel. Up went the sails and we were underway!
Ahead of us was Solace, the beautiful 41 foot Beneteau of the Sail Beyond Cancer organization. We had fun chasing her around for a while. Then, with the ideal wind, we turned east and headed down the York. The winds picked up even more, sustaining 10-14 knts with a few gusts that reached 21! Now THAT was some sailing! We hit a top speed of over 7 knts. It was all delightful.
We sailed all the way out of the York and into the mouth of Mobjack Bay. I was tempted to turn north and head towards Deltaville. I am planing a Deltaville trip soon and figured I’d get a little taste of what that route would be like. Alas, with the winds from the south, that would mean running down wind. I wasn’t set up for that and wasn’t in the mood for a lot of jibing. I’ll save that for when i have to do it on a planned trip, not on a pleasant little day sail.
So we came about and headed back up the river. The winds shifted a bit, requiring a few tacks but hey, that’s all part of the fun! We were joined by a pod of about eight dolphins for a short stretch. Major was napping and never saw them.
Furling in the jib went smoothly, thank goodness, as did the main. Started the engine up and headed back into the channel and the marina. As poorly as I docked the last time, I did well this time. (Maybe the last time it was due to the concern over the engine and jib.) Anyway, I slid the boat stern-to into to the slip for an A grade!
When the engine cooled down, I checked the coolant. 100% full! At least that problem is solved. New engine mounts and a new exhaust heat riser are on the way. Once those repairs are made, I will have much higher confidence in the engine to take any trip and run the engine for long periods of time.
Captain Bob
