Sailing Trip Part 6 (The Final Part)

Thursday was my turn as helmsman, so I led us out of Robert's Bayou and down the intercoastal waterway, under a bridge and out into the Gulf. It was a windy and wavey day, and I was glad I was steering, cause that meant I could hang onto the wheel and stay pretty stable. Unfortunately, Arlin was navigator and being down in the cabin meant he was getting seasick. After an hour or so he ended up puking off the stern, but he felt much better after that. No one else got sick but I did feel a little queasy after going down below to use the bathroom. I guess once you lose sight of the horizon and the fresh air, the wavey motion gets to your stomach. It probably didn't help any of us that we drank a lot last night either, alcohol is supposed to make seasickness worse. It was very exhilarating to be at the helm with the 3 to 5 foot waves and 25 knot winds. Then I had to steer us into the wind so the crew could raise the mainsail. It got jammed half way up and so I had to fight to keep the boat pointed into the wind while the guys fixed up the sail. They raised it up, then deployed the jib, and we turned off the engine and now we were sailing! It was also exciting to tack in those conditions, I had to make sure that I made my turn right after the crest of a wave. All in all a very exciting day. We ended up having to motor a little towards the end of the day since we needed to get back inside the intercoastal waterway and the wind was against us most of the day, therefore we weren't making the best time under sail alone. We passed a few channel buoys which indicate the entrance to the waterway. We stayed overnight back at the home marina and had a nice dinner at the Atlas restaurant right there at the dock. Friday morning we took our second exam, for Bareboat Chartering, and everyone passed that one pretty easily. Then we took the boat out for another pump out and fuel up, and practiced some 'back and fill' manoeuvers. Then we had a short sail over across the bay to learn how to pick up a mooring ball. Then it was back to the dock and the trip was over. The drive home was long but uneventful and we were in bed around midnight. The first thing we did on Saturday morning was go pick up the cats. They were very happy to come home and wanted outside right away.