OWSA First Mate assessment sail!

Lindy Thibodaux

Spoiler: I passed!!! (Details later when I have a few more brain cells to rub together.) [the next day] This almost didn’t happen yesterday— the wind forecast did not look promising, and completing this assessment depended on being able to actually sail. Luckily, Colleen decided to chance it, and we got started. We were using a Ranger 20 belonging to one of Colleen’s friends. I’ve been sailing quite a lot since the end of January, but it had been over 6 years since I’ve sailed on one of these— not since the last time I sailed with my late daughter, Valerie. Tiller! Hanked headsail! Which was a Genoa! Outboard motor! 2-person crew! That was a lot to get my head around when I was already nervous about this test. And it was quite hot, with no great prospect for wind — until we got out of the marina and onto the river. Even then, it took a while to get anything but light and variable, which was fine with me, since I was now at the (tiller) helm. When the wind did strengthen, it quickly became quite gusty, resulting in several rails-in-the-water heels (slightly unnerving for me, still trying the get into the tiller groove). Things eased up a bit as we were heading back to the marina, and, after Colleen talked me through my very first docking into a slip (!), we had a lengthy debrief to finish the test. We started out a little before 5:00pm, and the sun was setting as we walked back to the parking lot. (Hence my temporarily non-functioning brain— that was a lot.) But what a great experience! I got to know Colleen a little (this was my first time meeting her), and I learned so much thanks to her guidance, on this tricky-wind kind of day. FYI about OWSA’s First Mate program, from their website, OWSA.net: “The First Mate Certification Program recognizes OWSA members with intermediate to expert sailing skills who want to support community skippers during Wednesday Night Sails and other OWSA events. First Mates assist skippers in sharing sailing techniques, help foster a safe and welcoming environment on the water, and serve as positive ambassadors for OWSA. The program is a great way to sail more often, sharpen your own skills, and support hands-on learning in a group setting.”