Once a sailor…

…always a sailor.

As an old Prindle 16 catamaran sailor and one-time racer, I remember sitting on the beach in Southern California just praying for wind. In the God-given “perfect” weather of San Diego, a breeze seldom materialized before noon. And, when one did, it was rarely more than 6 – 8 knots. Sometimes our races looked more like a Sunday afternoon social sail. We heard of the great breezes in Northern California and some of us were lucky enough to have experienced the wild rides on the lakes there.

Yesterday, I was invited by a special friend to sail on her Prindle 15. She lives on a small lake in Sacramento County and her boat sits on her beach, raring to go. Life vest in hand and wearing my “squishies,” I had great thoughts of, once again, that old cat thrill: knifing through the water at an exhilarating speed, heeling just off the water; a refreshing spray in the face…

So here we are: Northern California, private lake, two experienced sailors, and a sleek cat ready to go. And, what!? …TOO MUCH WIND!??! As we used to say: “blowin’ like snot!…just blowin’ lids off trash cans! Yee hawwww!!!” To much wind! ‘gusts up to 35 knots. We wouldn’t have stood a chance. So, we sipped wine instead and knew there’d be another day…

By the way, for those of you with a sharp eye and may have wondered: Yes, the cat pictured IS a Prindle 15 –specially rigged with a jib.