The Puget Sound Cruising Club usually does one trip a year to a dock, for winter heat, this year to Kingston. It's been a really wet year, so Kathleen and I waited for a bit for a little rain-break, headed for the pump-out, and crossed paths with Steve and Elsie on Osprey, the well known green Annapolis 44. It was a very cool grey motor-sailing trip up to Kingston, and we arrived in heavy rain, the last of the six boats that made it. Linda and Colleen came up from Elliot Bay on the Catalina 30 Wicked. Experienced sailors new to the group, were Ron & Kirsten on the PS40, Just Lucky, and Mike & Sheryl on Raven Dancer, a 36’ S-2. Patrick & Natalie on their C&C Landfall 38 were on the other C&C. After dinner, we squeezed all 12 participants into our C&C35 Simplicity, for dessert and stories - good times.

Sunday morning we had Steve's traditional gallimaufry on Osprey, another great potluck brunch! The wind was picking up, everyone took off, and we were last out. We crossed the shipping lane ahead of the container ship, and made it to the "SF" seperation buoy before he passed us. It was bouncy and blowing, I saw one 32kt puff, stopped looking, and we had a few more big puffs burying the rail. We only had one reef in - should have put in two! We were a bit overpowered, tossed the boat, dropped a few drawers, and flushed some gritty construction crumbs through the dishes under the stove. A few jars of jelly flew cross the boat, denting the lids, but we lucked out and the glass didn't break. When it eased up on the East side, we put in the other reef, and later let out a little more jib. Well that was another learning experience. Kathleen went below to get warm and clean up, and I sailed out, for about six tacks. With too much jib out, I spun out three times, before I finally got the boat trimmed right - argh! Raven Dancer was the only boat we saw on the way home, too grey and wet to get great shots. We made it home, safely docked by three, another good trip!
Thanks, Lee