Kristin and Connor bundled up
February 4th. Saturday. I had been looking forward to this day all week. I checked the National Weather Service marine forecast for Galveston Bay Wednesday and it would be a bit chilly, but the wind looked decent. Sunday would be warmer but the winds were forecast to lay down. We sent some texts to pick up some crew for the trip. Our old neighbors Candice and her young son Adam were in. Unfortunately, her husband Damon couldn’t join us. He was working his last day before starting a new job at the company I work for. Jon and his friend Ryan, were also in. Weather. Check. Crew. Check. Boat. Check. Let’s go.
Come Saturday morning, it was cold. Houston cold, that is. 55 degrees. Heck, that’s normal sailing weather for half the world. But when one is acclimated to 100 degree summers, 55 degree humid air is cold! We bundled Connor up in 3 layers to make sure he was warm. He also got to wear his new beanie he got for Christmas. Unfortunately, we didn’t have gloves for him. Parent fail. He would be with Kristin and she could keep his little hands warm. Jon, in shorts, and Ryan were on the dock ready to go. Candice and Adam were bundled up and ready to go. After a couple of jokes about wearing shorts in cold weather, we were on Seraphina removing the sail covers and getting her ready for the day.
As we motored out of Clear Creek Channel into Galveston Bay, it became readily apparent that we were not going to fake it Caribbean style in Galveston bay. 15-20kt winds with a wind chill near 50 degrees and overcast, it was going to be one of those “well, at least we are out on the water…it could be worse” days.
Adam enjoying the trip
I found out Jon is also into photography. He took a few great shots and sent them to me.
Kristin and Connor as we motored out of Kemah. Courtesy of Jon Myers.
All in all, we had a good time. As we headed back towards home, we had a nice downwind leg that really helped ease the chilly wind. We were in company as the Galveston Bay Yacht Club was out finishing up a race. One day, we’ll learn how to sail a spinnaker. There’s nothing quite like the site of 20 yachts with spinnakers flying.
Racing with spinnakers looks like fun!
Ryan took the helm for awhile and had to dodge the little sailors in their dinghy train.
Ryan manning the helm.
Dinghy races!
And Jon took his turn on the helm.
Jon taking his turn on the helm.
After 3 or 4 hours, the young crew were tired. Both Connor and Adam decided it was time for a nap.
Afternoon siesta for the little ones.
All in all, it was a good day of sailing.
Maintenance Note
In the middle of the trip, the port primary winch decided it didn’t want to hold. I had to cleat off the port jib sheet to keep it tight. I had read about servicing the winches awhile back, so I’m pretty sure they were just gummed up. The primary winches on Seraphina are the older Lewmar Wavegrip 40ST two speed winches. Looks like another maintenance item to add to the ever-growing list. Speaking of which, I’ve created a running list of maintenance and upgrades on Seraphina. Check it out here