Sailing on Rose Bay

[khiemtran]

Sunday morning, and it's time for something a bit more laid back. I'm taking Shearwater out for a solo spin around Rose Bay...



Some friends in another Mirror. I hove-to (a handy manoeuvre that lets you stop the boat) so I could get photos of them as they sailed past.



Watching the seaplanes take off and land is always exciting. Once they're on the water, they technically become powerboats and have to obey all the same rules we do (although you wouldn't want to try to claim right of way if one was coming in for a landing).



The Pacers (like the dinghy in the foreground) are manned by adults and families learning how to race. In the background, you can see kids in Optimists doing the same thing.



Meanwhile, closer to shore, the bay is filled with standup paddleboarders. It was actually quite tricky trying to pick my through them to get back to the ramp. As far as I can see, standup paddleboarding has become an alternative to sun bathing. Most people are just chilling and pottering about in the sun.



Meanwhile, the more serious Mirror sailors are preparing for their first race. I had planned to crew in the afternoon races, but my legs aren't up to it after the run yesterday and someone else takes my place.



After lunch, the wind has picked up a few knots and launching from the lee shore becomes a bit of an exercise. I sit on the sea wall with a cup of coffee and my camera and watching how the experts do it. Then it's off home for me...

Comments

[carl-allery.livejournal.com]

Excellent photos - thank you for those. Red sail envy. :)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Hope you manage to get your own soon! I still haven't quite got the hang of setting those red sails yet. There were times when I seemed to get it right and the boat surged along, and others when I couldn't read the sails at all. Looking forward to getting a bit more time on the water so I can learn all the cues.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The red sails really are gorgeous!

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

It is a lovely colour. It's very handy when you're on the water, because it's easy to spot the other Mirrors (and, of course, it makes it easier to monitor the races).

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

All the boats and paddleboards, with their different shapes and colors of sails (okay, the paddleboards don't have sails, but they do have different colors of swimsuits on the people paddling them) give the impression of varied sea and shore birds, or maybe schools of fish.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, sailboats always remind me of seabirds (they're actually very close because the sails function so much like winds), and the people on the paddle boards do look a lot like wading birds. They look a bit as though they're looking for fish to snatch from under their feet...

I wonder if the people in Mermaids Hands make their own paddleboards, or go paddling with rafts.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

they absolutely do!

(though I only discovered this through reading your blog ♥)