Sailing the Harbor - Night 63

Trip Start Oct 11, 2007
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Trip End Mar 26, 2008


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Flag of New Zealand  ,
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Life as a volunteer is rough.  We took the day off today and commandeered the GVN sailboat for a day on Wellington Harbour.  Since none of us are ordained sailors, the company hired Terry, a certified master yachtsman, to guide us for the day.  An older gentleman, Terry was the quintessential New Zealander, patient, sarcastic, and very proud of his country.  If you really wanted to see him worked up just mention the shenanigans from the America's cup race in Seville this summer - the Kiwis narrowly lost in the finals.  Almost as much bitterness as a Cubs fan.

We were split into three teams and took turns manning the boat, while Terry oversaw and told stories about past regattas he'd been in or pointed out which of the Lord of the Rings cast lived in which mansion along the water; a superb tour guide and yachtsman.  When traveling with the wind, taking the helm meant little more than steering around the multitude of rocks and reef that pervade Wellington Harbour, rocks and reefs that have sent more than a few much larger and famous ships to their demise in years past At the Helm
At the Helm
 .  However, on the way back in we actually had to practice some tried and true sailing techniques.  Cruising into the wind, sail slack and direction all matter to an immense degree.  Generally, you must either sacrifice bearing or speed, i.e. the less you head directly into the wind the faster you can go, but the more zig-zags you must make.  We returned to dock around 5pm, a solid 7 hours on the water. 

What I Learned Today:  There is something ancestral to the art of sailing.  Tacking against the wind at 8 knots using only the power of a stiff head wind to propel your 13-ton boat on a zigzag pattern through the harbor speaks to man's atavistic mastery of the basics of physics.  Picture Vasco de Gama rounding Cape Horn, Zheng He discovering America, or Tommie Boy praying for wind.    
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