Opening Day Sail

spor

People ask, “When is Opening Day?” Usually April 1. Jamie Rodriquez brought her Texas family to Williamsburg for Spring Break and went sailing on Opening Day of Let’s Go Sail. Brisk winds of 10 mph were a bit chilly on the York, but the bright sunshine warmed everyone up. Jamie used to sail in Annapolis. Next on their adventure, they’re off to Washington to see the museums on the Mall, notably Air & Space. They’ll also tour Arlington National Cemetery to see the changing of the guard, and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Opening Day serves as an informal shakedown cruise. By now the bottom sports one or two coats of expensive paint, so I’m anticipating faster speeds on a slick hull. Almost all the engine work feels over: oil change, oil filter change, new fuel filters, clean raw water filter, tightened fan belts and more. I wait till spring to get the valves tuned and change the engine coolant. Fresh water fills the potable tank, while the waste tank remains empty. With a full fuel tank and empy tank, the boat sails faster on a starboard tack because the fuel weight is closer to the water. The sails have been cleaned and resewn where needed. 

The clients see none of this, but the boat operates flawlessly. 

The weight distribution for speed seems contrary to racing. Because they put all the crew on the rail in brisk winds. In the case of Let’s Go Sail, the greater speed comes from weight on the starboard tack. And one other place. Because the water tank at the bow is nearly empty intentionally, I like to put one or two people up there to balance the weight. It provides a smoother sail for the helmsman and usually adds 1 mph of speed if the wind blows briskly.

Let’s Go Sail on Opening Day

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