February 9, 2005; San Diego Sailing

Bill and Rona were jonesing for a boating fix. Today looked to be the only good weather day for the next couple of days, so they took me out on a 34 foot Hunter sailboat. Sailing was a regular activity for Bill and Dad when they were in San Diego. Although I am familiar with boating I had never been sailing.

The winds were calm that morning in the bay. As we drifted along, beer in hand, San Diego was putting on a show for us on all sides. The sun was glimmering off the downtown towers as Boeings glided over on their approach to San Diego International runways. Marines and Coastguard performed their exercises on the water, set against the background of aircraft carriers and destroyers. News copters, Blackhawks, and fighter jets streaked across the sky directly overhead. It all stood in stark contrast to the desolation of the desert and mountains that I had grown accustomed to.

Bill handed the wheel over and taught me some of the terminology and fundamentals of sailing like tacking, and irons. The boat is dead in the water if it's in irons, or facing a direct head wind. When the wind is 15 degrees to either side you are under sail. It took me to half a dozen explanations to understand that the wind is actually pulling the boat instead of pushing it. Sailing and flying both operate under the Bernoulli Principal. In avionics, air traveling over the wing slower creates lift. In sailing air traveling over the outside of the sail slower creates forward momentum. Tacking is changing the sails and course to keep wind in the sheets and maintain momentum.

As we left the bay and sailed past Point Loma into the Pacific the radio played- and I kid you not- Come Sail Away, by Styx. With the stronger winds in the ocean, I was introduced to another sailing fundamental. Heeling is putting the boat over on one side to take full advantage of the wind. This is Bill's favorite part of sailing. He told me a couple of funny stories about him heeling the boat over when his buddies were using the head. Then he went to the head and left me at the wheel. He was right- heeling is a lot of fun.