Got the Dink back together Sunday morning. i sanded the cheek-scarfs smooth and, without even a pause for fresh paint, dropped the mast back in, and went out for a sail. i bit the bullet, and despite the poor winds, and set out for Smuggler’s Cove.
The expected north-northeast winds shifted southerly, and i was forced to stand waaay out towards Sandy Cay just to make the angle into Smuggler’s. It took me about two hours altogether to sail there. i was surprised along the way by the several butterflys i had wing past me, out there in the middle of the north sound. The landing through the surf went fairly smoothly (didn’t embarrass myself in front of the tourists too much), and after stowing the topmast and sail, i trotted up to the honour bar.
A burger and few fine mojitos later (the bar at Smuggler’s makes the best on the island), i launched into the surf for the sail home. This time, the wind was with me, but unfortunately, dying down fast. Getting past the currents off Steele Point was as annoying as expected, and it took a few lousy tacks to discover the “just right” finger of wind to follow up along Little Thatch before tacking over towards the J.R. i blew one tack when a pair of dolphins popped up beside me, a few yards away.
Darkness dropped like a (very dark) stone, along with the last of the wind, and i motor-sailed (paddled) the last hundred yards or so. The trip home took about three hours. Good fun, but needed more wind. Well, saying that, i’m remined of the hours spent repairing the mast from the last “fun wind” day… Could a larger, more robust dingy be in the works? Stay tuned…