Colours Of Water: First time solo!

Last weekend, I did a crazy thing. I went on a solo sailing trip for the first time of my life... in another boat than my own. And it was great!

But why another boat?

Of course, my own boat isn’t in the water yet. We are finishing repairs now. The way things look at the moment, we’re going to be able to grab some last bits of summer. I can't wait for our boat to get back in the water again, but that is not the reason.

I have a thing for Drascombes. Last year I learned that you could actually rent these, at the sheltered Lauwersmeer Lake. I pictured myself sailing one of these boats alone, with the protection of sheltered waters. It sounded like a perfect adventure for me. It would be a learning experience too, because I always sail with my more experienced boyfriend. So I rented a Drascombe Longboat Cruiser at the Lauwersmeer Lake, the Black Swan.

The Black Swan, moored besides a traditional vessel

The first evening was really terrifying. Even small boats are big when you've never sailed alone. I spent that Friday evening just motoring around the lake, trying to get to know the boat a little.

At night, I moored at a small harbor in one of the lake's islands. If one respects nature, one can spend the night there for free. Besides bollards, there are no facilities. But who needs those anyway? From the island, you could see semi-wild horses grazing on the east bank of the lake. There were lots of swans and white herons also. Beautiful. I haven't been sailing since November last year, and suddenly I realized how much I have missed sailing.

A peaceful evening

Next day, I decided to put the jib and the mizzen up. No mainsail. I felt I wasn't ready to handle three sails on my own. But I was amazed to see how quick these little sails could be hoisted and dropped! Probably, I could easily have hoisted and handled the main sail also, but I was taking baby steps. That made me feel more comfortable about the whole thing.

Semi-wild horses roam the east bank of the lake

With these calm winds, jib and mizzen weren't enough to keep the boat moving, so I spent that day motor-sailing. The exercise did make me feel more confident about handling a boat on my own, so I decided I would try hoisting the main tomorrow.

The next morning, I sailed off to pick up my mom, who would sail with me this Sunday.

Of course, that meant that my last day wouldn’t be truly 'solo' anymore. But I am used to being on a boat with someone with more experience. My mother has very little sailing experience.. So the whole thing still felt pretty solo. No one to ask: What should I do next?

Spending the night at another small island

In the early morning, there wasn’t any wind. So my mother and I motored to the North side of the Lauwersmeer lake. There it borders the Wadden Sea. We walked over to the other side and looked over the calm sea. Seeing salt water again after more than a year, made me long for seagoing adventures with my own boat. In a few weeks time, we will head out there again...

At the North side of the lake, there is a small sea harbor

When we returned to our small Drascombe, we felt a little wind. Time to get the sails up and switch off the engine! She sailed perfectly. I almost felt guilty for motoring her around for the last two days. We even managed to sail wing-on-wing a little bit.

But, of course, no sailing trip ever runs smoothly and perfectly. When we started the outboard again, to moor at one of the islands, it kept pulling itself to port side. I did not know why. Time to improvise. I attached the outboard with a rubber band to a cleat on the starboard side of the boat, so we could sail straight again. A few moments later, my mom noticed that the mizzen sheet was tangled up behind the outboard, pulling it to port side. We untangled it.

Wing on wing!

But that did not mean that our problems were over. The outboard kept acting up. It had way too much power, even when I completely turned down the throttle. What could be the problem? I realized, that maybe, all this yanking could have pulled the choke out too far. That happened to be the case! Ten minutes later, we were enjoying our lunch at one of the islands. But the real test was yet to come...

According to weather forecasts, it was going to be a calm Sunday afternoon. Thirteen knots tops, with 'gusts' up to fourteen knots. When we hoisted the sails again, everything was sunny. A slight roar of thunder in the distance. It was high up in the sky, it didn’t seem very threatening. But after fifteen minutes, the wind suddenly picked up. Before I knew it, our boat was heeling over to port side.

Lunch at one of the islands

A Longboat Cruiser does not have a keel to act as a counterweight. So this boat can be knocked over. Also, she does not have a self-draining cockpit. If to much water spills over from the sides, it's a big problem. So I immediately loosened the main sheet, but the boat kept heeling over. Loosened it a bit more, and then the main sail started fluttering violently. Pull it in again: scary heeling over.

I made a decision. Away with those sails and back to the harbor where we came from! That harbor was about a mile up north, not very far away. Within a few minutes I had the sails down and the motor running at full speed. Luckily, after twenty minutes, the wind died down again.

In hindsight, I think I should have seen this coming. I had two sunny days, but I did see a lot of rain showers around me. Sometimes, these showers have unpredictable winds in them, winds that weather forecasts rarely pick up. Also, I probably should have left the jib and mizzen up. That would have given the boat some more stability if the waves had gotten higher. These are valuable lessons for the next time.

But I did not panic, I quickly made a decision and acted on it. And my mother also did not seem scared. So I think we did pretty well in such a stressful situation. Good to know.

You'll see a lot of traditional sailing vessels at the Lauwersmeer Lake

Half an hour later, we were standing on solid ground again. Time to hand in the boat. I felt satisfied. The same satisfaction I feel after completing a challenging sea crossing. This little trip was quite a challenge of its own. I really grew as a sailor this weekend.

I would recommend this to everyone, especially to folks who usually sail with someone more experienced. If you are the one having to make all the decisions, you will learn a lot quicker, a lot more and a lot deeper. And the feeling of mastery you have when sailing your own boat, is even more amazing than I thought it would be.

This weekend I did not get to sail her without an engine, alone. That's the thing I'd like to do next. So next spring, I will be back here, for another Drascombe solo adventure. Already looking forward to it.