Ups and downs

Thursday
Not good. I turned up and nobody to play with! Apparently the new Osprey did a turn round the bay. but that was after I went home in disgust (Another round of redundancies today in the offing)

Friday YoBs
Great turn out ! Lots of wind (too much) but we all knew it would drop. Michelle was just back from holiday and a little worse for ware. But we waited and then the wind dropped and we were off. I took a lad out and we had a great time. I got pulled out of the boat and the kids did the rest. Its good to see so many of the older kids instinctively training the new guys.
Makes you proud to have guided them to this point in their sailing career. But as they are teenagers it will all be forgotten instantly but I don't expect thanks that's OK.
Afterwards I had a grumble to Tom R and Tom L about Thursday and they bit my arm off for a sail in my Merlin. OH YES crew !

Saturday
Tom L turned up on time and we prepped the boat. I had a quick half in the bar and a chat with Lyn M About the Squibb Nationals coming up. I stocked up on Mars bars and got changed.

I sailed off the slip on a run down the river.
Tom was given the helm ASAP but as this was his first Merlin experience he was not too happy. He sat in the middle of the boat holding the tiller and the mail sheet right by the jammer. The jammer is a pig as it releases in the down direction ! Well after a bit I said sit on the windward side and I'll Balance the boat.
It was a gusty 15 knots so he had to flick the jammer all the time BUT he very soon got the hang of it. We sailed about trying tacks. jibes and spinnaker runs. We even jibed the the spinnaker. Well Tom's confidence was on the up. The cock sure little scab. Fed him the Mars bars and told him to stop scooping the water as I didn't want to right the boat.
Our race start was knobbled by the rudder down-haul coming off just before the start (gun/horn). We started late (1 minute) but we started the race.
On the windward leg Tom decided we had had enough serious stuff and we quit. He wanted to play so we had a few planning reaches and then headed to home.
I would have liked to have finished a race but Tom was on the helm. Maybe next Saturday.

Sunday
No sailing but it was my mother's Birthday party. We drove up to Portishead and I then eat and drank too much. FAB. We went for a walk and watched the local sailing club race. I am in awe of these guys. I only have to deal with 2 knots of current the have much more all of the time. Guys come and sail in a tranquil bay !

Monday
Nat didn't want to crew so I went for the "learn to sail a Laser" option. BUT we had a new classic International 14 so even though I had rigged the club Laser Tim B asked me to crew his Osprey again. Didn't he learn from last time ?
Well the conditions were flat and the 14's (2 off) walked it. I only bothered the wire on one tack!
All in all it was more fun than screwing around on a Laser. (I only say that because I have never sailed one)

BTW the Laser interest is because I want/need to finish my RYA DI training.