Alison Udall

Thanks, Alison, for all the photos! This Wednesday Night Sail was full of firsts for me: — My first WNS as First Mate; — First time meeting our skipper, Jerry, plus first time sailing on Miss Haps, Jerry’s boat; — Also first time meeting crew member Michelle G.; — First time doing tiller tacks by handing off the tiller each time to another crew member (rather than 1 person switching sides) - very cool and worked really well; — First time seeing Jerry’s particular way of implementing a whisker pole (seen in one of Alison’s photos)— I think this was new to all of us, including being able to jibe the jib with this setup in place! For me, all the firsts are one of the best parts of the OWSA’s WNS program— the opportunity to get to know different skippers, their boats, and all their various areas of expertise. And being a part of crew members that are new to me makes each WNS an even richer experience. I’m always so grateful for every one of these sails— particularly to the skippers who volunteer their time and boats to make this program so great. Thank you!

We had a mini pre-celebration carrot cake for Fran’s birthday (which is tomorrow)— I guess I was enjoying it too much to think to get pictures. (That’s the birthday girl/skipper at the helm.) The wind was indeed all over the place today, both in direction and strength. Not exactly unusual, but hey, it keeps us on our toes. Gorgeous sunny day with Mt. Hood looking clearer than usual, lots of holiday-makers out on their boats and the beaches (I use the term loosely), plus 2 barges from 2 directions just in case we got bored. (We didn’t.)

This was a big one for me: my first Wednesday Night Sail without my daughter, Valerie (my original sailing teacher). We had done several WNSs together in 2019, before the pandemic shut down our sailing. It was also the first WNS for one crew member, and for the other, it was her very first time on a sailboat! It was a beautiful evening with quite good winds, and lots of traffic on the river including a cruise boat, a barge, and a multitude of Jet-skis— and more WNS boats too. Afterwards, we enjoyed the traditional post-WNS snacks and drinks on the terrace of Rose City Yacht Club— all provided by me and the other crew members to thank our incredibly kind and generous host, Arnie, for sharing his boat, time, and expertise. A memorable evening for us all.