A Daysail Story

[Windhawk]

I'm breaking in my new Com-pac 23, and I went out for a couple of hours on Lake Macatawa, Michigan last Tuesday. Being single-handed, and a bit lazy, I decided to see what she sails like with just the genoa up. On a clear-blue sunny day with a steady wind of about 15 knots kicking up the begining hints of whitecaps, I was amazed that she hit 5.6 knots steady on a broad reach. In a boat that has a hull-speed of just a smidgen over 6 knots, I was amazed to be going that fast with only one sail up. The balance was OK, with just the right amount of weather helm to feel good. I had neglected to put on my sailing gloves, and the breeze proved them a necessity that had to be retrieved from the cabin.

After a couple of hours, the wind softened, and I headed back up to the marina. Just as soon as the wind fell, a pack of sailing school kids headed out sailing on 6 or 7 Optimist Prams. The classes are for kids aged 8 to 12, and this group looked to be on the young side of that. They shot across the lake, and after a few circles around a buoy, they headed back across the lake just as I neared them. I fell off to let them cross my bow, and then fell off again as some of the straglers took a little longer to get going, but I could see one boy in last place was going to have to react to me somehow.

I called out, "Hey, do you think you can go behind me?"

He answered in a quavering voice, "I don't know!" Well, that told me that it was going to be up to me to get by him, but my options were limited by only having the jib up. I headed up, and gained a good bit of speed over him, and then fell off in front of his bow.

"You're still going to have to cross behind me," I yelled to him.

"OK, I'll try," he said, still not too sure of his own abilities, but sucess was to be his on this day.

As he passed close behind me I said, "Looks as if you're having fun!" To which he broke into a huge grin and said, "Oh, yes. It's for a class. We're getting credit for it."

I said, "You're an optimist!" And again the big grin crossed his face, and he said "Yes. Yes, I am!". But suddenly, he looked a bit disconcerted, and then said, "That, that's the name of this boat, an Optimist!"

"I know," I said and smiled, "The same man who designed your boat designed mine. Clark Mills was his name"

"Really?", and his eyes widened a bit as he took in the what to him must have been the huge expanse of my little cruiser. "That's cool. What was his name again?"

And I told him once more, and bid him a good days sail as we pulled away from each other. I felt warmed by the exchange, as I was sure that he would rush excitedly to his instructor at the end of the day and tell him just who it was that designed these little sailing prams, and that he was the same man to design that pretty blue boat over there. I was further warmed by the idea that between Clark Mills, and the Hutchins family of Com-Pac, through myself, and my children to today's youngest generation, that at least five generations of sailors have been optimists!

[dgholmes]

Great story Windhawk.  It is so great to hear about kids experiencing the art of sailing.  So many kids and adults alike have never been introduced to sailing.  Most of them purchase bigger, faster, gas guzzling boats and never experience the serenity of sailing.  It was about 15 years ago when a friend introduced me to it, and I have been hooked ever since.   I remember when I felt like that little boy out there sailing.  A little scared, but having a good time also.