Off Keel w/ Cptn Bruce 20260602

Devin McGuire

Captain Bruce invited me to sail with him on his boat off Kiel, a 26-ft McGregor. The day was Sunny 70*F, Wind 10knts NE with prolonged gusts 15kts+. We furled in the jib after an hour, whitecaps were many and steady. Intended to practice 'Heave/Hove To' maneuver but conditions were too spicy. Maybe next time. When Bruce was bringing down the main sail, Devin didn't use the motor throttle enough to keep the boat in irons and Bruce ended up with a lot of sail in his face making it difficult to bring down for docking. Sorry, Bruce, my bad. Wind also made docking a bit of a challenge. Devin used the boat hook to grab the dock bow line and when stepping onto the dock, tripped over the lifeline and fell into the water up to his waist. While holding the boat hook pole and the bowsprit with arms stretching, he tried to pull the boat closer to the dock so the phone in his breast pocket wouldn't be ruined. As Bruce was able to nudge the boat a little closer to the dock, Devin eventually swung his feet up onto the dock and secured the boat with the bow line. Phew, that was a close one.