Sailing Classes ASA 101/103/104 & 114
So in typical Mike and Lauren fashion, you already know we bought a gorgeous 40ft catamaran. Except we do not know how to sail!!! Yeah yeah, since I was a kid, Dad always used to say “No road blocks”, and my grandfather used to always tell me that I could do anything. How hard can sailing really be?
Now remember, Lauren and I have been professional athletes our entire life. We have grown up on bikes, raced bikes, lived bikes.. Lauren went to the Olympics and I have managed athletes for 20 years. No matter how experienced you are at something, you still get nervous at something that is so foreign to you. It is intimidating to walk into a marina not knowing much at all, but you are there to learn. You see all these expensive boats, and crew and captains that wear salt on their sleeves like badges of honor. Intimidating for sure, except the Sailing Florida folks, made you smile and feel at ease from the minute we arrived!
Day 1 of sailing.
Turns out that sailing was not that hard, just a lot to learn. But what was hard was LIFE and the drama that comes with it sometimes.
Our Day 1 of sailing started with London (Our bad ass dog) having a swollen paw in the morning. We were up early to head to Doggy day care, then the long commute to the marina in St Petersburg (45 minutes). Right as we where leaving the house, well USADA (Antidoping) shows up to drug test Lauren. Yep, she is still a professional cyclist; with responsibilities. For you newbies, this means that they can drug test her anytime and anywhere at random. Sometimes their chosen random is a crappy stressful moment. We where late to leave for the Marina, had to drop off an injured dog, and now delayed to Pee in a cup!
Fast Forward past the morning stress.. and finally. We settle into the marina with Sailing Florida. We get to meet Captain Jack, who will be working with us everyday for 6 days of sailing. If you have not taken the courses, READ the book! As total newbies the terminology is a lot.. and you have to pronounce things a certain way, or everyone knows you’re a rookie! Never mind that Lauren’s brand new cute boat shoes might give us away as newbies.
So a couple hours of classroom and textbook time, followed by lunch dangling our legs off the peer.. I just wanted to get out on the water!! After lunch we where told.
What a rush it was. To cast off the lines for the first time. We motored out of the Marina, while still taking very careful instruction from Captain Jack. Once in open water, we began the first raising of the sails. I can still recall that one moment… The engines got turned off, and everything went silent. All you could hear was the wind in your ears, and the noise of the hull slicing through the water. Deep breath of fresh air! It was a perfect escape, and I was hooked from that moment!
As Day 1 came to a close, the sailing was basic and a lot of textbook. But then the reality stick came and slapped us back into LIFE! We had to pick up the dog at day care, her paw got worse and she had a fever..
Oh no! London is our babygirl, so we felt crushed for her. Immediately looking for a Vet open after 6pm, that could help us out. A couple xrays, and a general check up. They where not sure if it was a sprained leg or something else. Painkillers, Steroids, and antibiotics.. and bed time.. Poor London with her sad eyes, hopping around on 3 legs certainly made us feel her pain.
Day 2 of sailing classes.
We woke up to a very unhappy puppy and a still swollen paw. We felt super guilty about going sailing again, while she suffered at doggy day care.. But she survived. I think she was so high on pills, she did not notice or care!
Day 2 of sailing was similar routine. Morning of textbook, and practicing knots. What the hell!!! I can’t get the hang of knots. Lauren, rolled right into them. I just struggle with the “Over, Under, Through the rabbit hole.. Blah blah blah”. That’s not how my overactive, high-strung mind works. It wants order, and clean lines and spreadsheets. Sorry Captain Jack, I know I can be a handful.
After lunch we hit the water again.. This time more instruction and hands on. In other words, more of Lauren and I making mistakes, while Captain Jack smiled and gave instruction. Then just as we thought, ok we are getting the hang of this “Tack again”. Captain jack throws the life sling in the water, and calls out “Man over board”.. Ok simple, drop sails, turn engine on, turn boat around. Grab ring! NOPE!! Captain Jack, tells us under sail power only. Well that’s a twist. I understand the reason for the practice, but I have an engine. That’s like drinking water from your hand instead of using a cup!
So Lauren and I work the lines, and sails. Grab the life sling with the boat
hook, and pass the first of many test to come.
The day ended with some more drama with poor London. Turns out there was a bite between her toes, and it finally swelled and popped. She was so happy that the pressure was gone. She was a new dog. But she also had a big gaping hole that we had to clean and once again visit the Vet after 6pm. By the way after hour vet visits hurt the budget!
Day 3 and 4 of Sailing were similar.
Text book in Am – Lunch – Sailing in afternoon, we are in a routine…
Now we learned how to dock and pick up a mooring ball. These will obviously be good to have a handle on before we head south to the Caribbean.
What was interesting is Lauren and I fell into our roles pretty quicky. I am always thinking big picture and over analyzing (Captain). She is feeling the wind and the boat (Helmswoman). Right away we found our strengths. Me navigating, her steering and me running the lines and sails. It gave us both a good feeling to click right into comfortable roles so early in our sailing experience.
After 4 days straight of sailing we got a break.
Ellie (Lauren’s mom) came to visit us for the weekend in Florida. It’s her first time since we bought the
house in June. We had a great time, eating good food, and taking our Powerboat to Caladessi Island and enjoying the beach. So many amazing things to do in this area, just have to explore around a bit.
The real excitement of sailing was about to start.
Stay tuned for the details of our 2 Overnights and sailing the Catamaran for Course ASA 104 & 114.
