Good Day Sunshine

It was sunny, the wind was light, and we had just launched our freshly painted and oiled boat Townshend– what could be better than heading out for an afternoon on the water?

We started our day practicing the cleat hitch and the yard bend- both are important knots in longboat operations. Then we checked in on our tasks for our environmental service project- an upcoming beach cleanup. And then we headed to the boat.

Remembering that it had been quite a while since we’d been boating, we took the time to review safety for boarding and moving around the boat, crew overboard drills, and moving heavy oars and sails. The we loaded our gear and were underway.

We left the marina with a light breeze and quickly set our fore and mizzen sails. Then we had a challenge- we needed to get a student back early to attend a class. After some brainstorming, we decided to drop her off at the beach downtown. Approaching the beach was great practice for our upcoming journey, when we will anchor to the beach each night.

After leaving the beach, we decided to drift and enjoy our moment of silence under sail. It was a perfect opportunity to soak up the sun, enjoy the mountains, and relax on the water. Before we knew it, it was time to return to the dock and end our day. For our reflection, we shared things we were looking forward to with spring: wearing fewer layers, flowers, dry grass, going hiking and camping, more time to go to the beach, starting track, and more sun! Life is good on Bravo Team.