Maiden Voyage & Exploring Sandusky Bay

On Thursday, August 23 I inhaled deeply and signed the papers which made me (along with my bank) the proud owner of a Columbia 26. Two days later I, along with my better half and my best friends, made the trek from Cincinnati to Sandusky to take our first sail as the owners.

DAY ONE
The weather forecast called for 15 knot winds, gusting to 20 (17-23 MPH) with a high temp of 75 and mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers. The temps were a relief to us having experienced temps in the uper 90s-low 100s in Cincinnati! We arrived at our marina and took inventory of CG equipment and to give me a chance to show off me girl! We took note of what we needed and headed off to West Marine in downtown Sandusky. With the conditions on the lake being similar to the ocean I decided to make the investment in a CO2 vest. Maybe I'd actually wear it!

After buying provisions at a local Krogers, we headed back to the marina to load up and head out. By this point the wind was definitely at the top-end of its forecasted numbers. The wind whistled through the rigging of nearby boats. I decided to only fly the main this day. Of the 4 passengers onboard, only one had any real boat handling experience, and with this being my first time handling a sailboat more that 16' in legnth I decided to try and sail conservatively. With everyone onboard we began the nail-biting task of manuevering 6500 lbs of boat out of its slip and into the bay. After a brief but harmless encounter with the rock wall behind my slip (better that than my neighbor's boat) we motored out into Sandusky Bay.

Once safetly outside the walls we raised sail and explored the bay. Everyone was excited to seeCedar Point's coasters.What thrilled them more was the 15 degree heel we developed! Two of my party had never been sailing before, and this coupled with the experience of moving through the water with no motor noise was a real treat for them! And for me, being able to live my dream of taking my best friends sailing on my own boat put a smile on my face. Sailing is an amazing experience, but even better when you share it!

Unfortunately, poor Sarah wasn't used to the rolling and pitching associated with coastal sailing (her experiences prior were limited to river trips with Chris) and she got queasy. When I looked aft I saw a meanacing band of rain on the horizon and decided it was time to head back. We dropped sail and fired up the outboard to try and give Sarah a smoother ride. As the rain approached, Kirsten and Sarah ducked in the cabin while the guys waited on deck. It nailed us as soon as we made the turn into the harbor. Fortunately it stopped once we docked (again, a bit of an experience).

After we put the sails away we headed out for dinner to Famous Dave's, which hit the spot after a day's sail. We then had everone back to the boat for wine and music. Ahh.. perfect end to a (n almost) perfect day! Around 2300 we said goodbye to our friends and crawed inside the V-berth for a good night's sleep.


DAY TWO
Day two brought sunny skies and warmer weather. The winds had subsided slightly to around 12-15. The gang had stayed in a nearby hotel and arrived at the marina at 1000. With my first sail out of the way I now felt confident to raise the jib (I was relieved because the Columbia's helm becomes very weather-heavy with main only). With a bit of a smoother experience manuevering from the dock we headed out once again into Sandusky Bay.

Once we raised sail Chris broke out his GPS system to track our speed (the knotmeter wasn't functioning). With winds flying in from the lake we had no problem reaching speeds of 5-6 MPH (very impressive for this monster). My crew was also feeling more confident in the warm sun so we winched in held on to see if we could push her even more. With winds at around 15 MPH, we reached 7 (I know that this should be in knots, but Chris forgot to change the speed setting) and had a respectable 15-20 degree heel. Soon after we let out our sails a bit and had a relaxing sail around the bay. Sarah, who didn't learn her lesson the day before, apparently didn't take any motion-sickness medication and once again felt queasy. With the time reaching 2:30 (and our guests facing a 3.5 hour drive in order to get back to their dogs) we headed back in.

After they left, Kirsten and I locked up and took the ferry to Put-In-Bay for some lobster bisque and beers. There's nothing like eating amazingly good seafood and washing back with some suds while overlooking the water! After walking around a bit more we headed back to Saundsky Harbor. With a good meal in our bellies we settled into the cabin and fell asleep.

Hoping for more to come!