Windy day on Piney Run Reservoir

Yesterday it was sunny with winds 10 to 20 mph on Piney Run Reservoir. The reservoir is about 300 acres with restrictions on use of gas powered motors. We got to the lake about 2pm and had the Capricious rigged and in the water by 2:30. With the steady strong winds I opted to go with the main only. The water is still cold and the air temperature had dropped from the mid to upper 80s earlier in the week to the mid to upper 50s on Saturday. The crew consisted of the commodore, the captain (our 14 year old daughter), our son in his late twenties and myself. The docks are about equal distance from either end of the reservoir so we set off tacking towards the north end of the reservoir. Even with the load and without the jib we were clipping along at a good pace (fast enough for the center board to sing to us.) After a couple of tacks the commodore started to get concerned about going for a swim in the cold water so we headed back to the docks and dropped her off. With just the three of us on board we headed towards the south end of the reservoir, with the commodore happily watching from the docks. With the winds to our backs we varied between a broad reach and a flat out run. It wasn't long before we had reached the south end of the lake. As we came about to make our way back to the north end of the lake the winds picked up and I began to notice white caps on the water. Time to head to the docks! We made several long tacks, clipping along at a good speed before finally arriving back at the dock. We tacked to just beyond the dock and put the boat in irons. The wind was so strong that it blew us backwards past the dock. We threw the bow line to the commodore as we drifted past the dock. We were only out for an hour and a half but I was pretty tired and ready to head home. All in all a great day on the water. The commodore and the captain are both ready to go out again

I noticed after putting the mast down that my hands were a bit sore from handling the main sheet. Can anyone recommend some good sailing gloves?

West marine brand gloves work well, until they get wet. I especially like them because of the thumb and fore finger cut outs that are handy for untying knots

boaterjoe said:

West marine brand gloves work well, until they get wet. I especially like them because of the thumb and fore finger cut outs that are handy for untying knots

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BoaterJoe: Thanks for the reply. Since making the above post I have invested in a pair of gloves from West Marine and I agree that they are great for working with the boats rigging while reducing the stress.