Sailing On The End of the Boom - A Boom Reach

The engine dies, the sails go up, HideAway falls off on a nice 5kn reach – Life is good. Towering clouds all around us gives the feel of sailing on a mountain lake. The building wind from under those mountains and an occasional rumble and perhaps a flash now and then give way to thoughts of reefing and home miles away.




The rail in the water provoked the Capt to admit the outhaul had slipped its cleat requiring immediate adjustment rather than a reef of HideAways loose footed main. Precariously balanced standing on the stern blindly reaching for the out haul line and fighting the strength of the wind on the main sail the Capt thought of the new throw ring sitting safely on a table at home waiting for paint to dry and that it just may be possible to fall off of a Compac 23 with her rail in the water and her Capt hanging from the end of the boom.



To be continued . . .