Sailing Backwards

The curmudgeon is, after a lifetime of training from the skipper, quite the skilled sailor.  After all, our boats didn't even have engines, so taking off from the mooring required some heavy pulling on the mooring line until the rudder kicked in and the sails would fill.  Stopping on a dime on the return to the mooring was the magic the skipper had.  We're talking a 40 foot racing sloop.  Stop on a dime.


The curmudgeon once agreed to take his Mom on a sundown cruise.  Dad was back at work, it was just the three of us (little sister was aboard) so the manly pulling off the mooring wasn't an option.


Simple: drop the line and sail backwards.  Hold the tiller over and the boat would eventually turn enough to let the sails fill, and we were off.


What fun!  The curmudgeon will never forget the look of fear on the owner of the overnighting yacht just behind us as we started, but we pulled it off.  Off and running.  Enjoying a rare evening sail. 


Then there was that stopping on a dime bit.  On the way back in to the harbor - remember, a 40-foot racing sloop with no engine - we calmly considered our options.  More precisely, we were in full panic mode.  My plan was simply to sail the thing onto shore.  That would more or less stop it, and you wouldn't have that long row home in the dinghy.


Saner heads prevailed.  I, too, stopped on a dime.


Good training.