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PROMOTING PERSONAL FREEDOM THROUGH POSITIVE SELF EMPOWERMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING EASY AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO THE WORLD OF SAILING
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ゆく河の流れは絶えずして、しかももとの水にあらず "The flow of the river is ceaseless, and yet the water is never the same."
(From the opening line of Hōjōki (方丈記), written in 1212 by Japanese poet Kamo no Chōmei - one of the most enduring sentences in classical Japanese literature, studied in Japanese schools for over 800 years.)
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Ceaselessly flowing by outside our windows at the club, the Columbia River may look relatively the same to the casual viewer, but those of us who ply it's waters, we students of the wind and it's nature, know better. Much like our fleet may look the same when you come down after a while, if you take a moment to notice - you'll see more than just new boats showing up; you'll see new possibilities, new adventures, and new experiences.
Likewise when you step aboard your boat for the day, if you stop and give yourself a moment to reflect, you'll note something's different - a variation in the wind angle, variations in current velocity, and most likely, your own read on the situation and your feelings about cutting loose and heading out. None of this should ever be misconstrued as a "problem" to be solved by any means - it is simply sailing - together with nature, doing what it always does: asking you to show up and be honest and present, each and every single time.
One thing I started to notice about myself through my years of sailing, and as I grew as a sailor, I stopped trying to repeat a good day and spent more time enjoying the current one. So many times upon coming back in, or upon completing a charter or a delivery, I found myself saying, "that was the best (day, week, trip) ever!" only to have the experience repeat itself again and again and again.
I have been seeing that shift happen in real time for members who really grow here. I have also seen members watching a fellow member work through something on the dock - a different reefing system, an unfamiliar boat, a docking approach that didn't go as planned - and without being asked, they step up. Not to take over but just to be another set of eyes, another pair of hands, another voice that says I've been there. That's not something that can come from a "policy", it's more the language of people who take sailing and the boats seriously because they seriously value sailing and each other. That is a big part of what we mean when we say good seamanship should be at the heart of everything we do.
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Which brings us back to Chōmei, and to the value we hold most central to who we are here at Island Sailing - who we are as a community: Truth & Honesty. Only by seeing clearly - the wind as it actually is blowing today, the current as it's actually running, ourselves as we actually are in this moment - can we grow. Wind doesn't lie, it doesn't seek to flatter one or trick anyone - like nature, and the Columbia itself - it simply is, and it knows nothing of our existence. Sailors who thrive are people honest enough to stop seeing what they expect or want to see or wish it was - and start seeing what's there. Sailing demands that we deal with what is, not some nether world of "wish it was or if only it had been". When we start to allow ourselves to be with what is, we really start to become sailors.
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The river: nature, will always be relentlessly honest - just as are the conditions that greet you every time you step aboard. It's the same river, the same club, the blue of the sky is the same blue we recall - but the experience is always a different one. Sailors who thrive here are the ones honest enough to stop sailing the day they expected, or wished it was, and start sailing the one they are actually experiencing in the moment. As the brilliant Japanese poet Kamo no Chōmei wrote in the year 1212: "The flow of the river is ceaseless, and yet the water is never the same."
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Spring is in full form down at the club! Feels a little as if we skipped the whole winter thing, but we're not complaining down here. Classes are rolling, boats are out, and geese are chatty as ever. It's been so great to see members coming through and continuing to build their skills. It's the community that makes Island Sailing special, and it's so great to see it so strong. |
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April at Island Sailing also welcomes a new boat to your fleet! You may have seen our release email last week, but we recently added a meticulously maintained 1993 Catalina 28 named Leucothea docked with our other larger diesel boats. We're currently rigging all new running rigging, double-checking and lubricating all the blocks and gear, tuning the rig properly, doing some other upgrading, and getting her ready for members to take out early this month. Keep an eye out for her on Boat Club when she becomes available. |
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A baby Rhythm, she has all the tools to take your sailing to the next level. A Garmen Chartplotter, a wind speed anemometer, an autopilot, a propane heater, she's got it all! |
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We knew after seeing she's called Leucothea that we had to add her to the fleet! Leucothea is the Greek Goddess of the sea and protector of sailors. She's referenced as a deity who aids mariners in distress, famously saving Odysseus with her veil in The Odyssey, and is often linked to sea spray. How perfect! |
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We feel excited and lucky that Island Sailing is growing both in our fleet and community. This space wouldn't be possible without all of our members for whom we are so grateful. Thank you all so much. |
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Seamanship and Your Fleet! |
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"People who do not know that a sailboat is a living creature will never understand anything about boats and the sea." -Moitissier
Thank you so much to all those who have come down this winter and helped us sustain our wonderful fleet! Getting out there and putting wind in those sails is how our boats stay alive and happy, and we are so grateful to our wonderful members for putting life into those boats.
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As we come into Spring and Summer, we've got more daylight and more wind, we're in that magic time of year when every week gets better and better for getting out there. The wind direction is going to start to shift from easterly to northerly, which means more gusty weather and some real sporty sailing! Prepared sailors should be on the lookout for strong gusts and always ready to throw in a reef, often and early. If you're at all shaky with your boat's reefing system, just let us know and we'd be happy to help you out!
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Spring also brings showers and snow-melt, which means it can be extra crucial to keep a sharp lookout for debris. Take note of the water level as you're walking down the ramp. If the gangway feels unusually flat or you're seeing trees submerged at the trunk, then that means every log and piece of debris formerly washed ashore could now be floating down the river waiting to crash into any unsuspecting sailors not keeping good watch. You all have been excellent stewards of the fleet you a done a fantastic job avoiding major deadheads(water-logged logs) and keeping our fleet afloat.
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This Month's Stowage Tips How pleasing it is to put a boat back to ship shape in Bristol fashion! |
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For generations, sailors have taken pride in putting a boat to rights and keeping her in an orderly fashion. In doing so, the gear lasts longer, it looks orderly, and is an art form itself. Here at Island Sailing, we aim to standardize all of our stowage across the boats to ensure that when you step on a boat, whether it's your first time or your favorite in the fleet, everything is clean and consistent. We love it when members progress as sailors and take pride in their fleet. From how we flake the sail to how we tie stopper knots on the lines, we aim to make it easy to get on a boat and get out on the water. Check out some of them!
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For jib sheets and halyards that end near a winch or are too short to coil, this is how we stow them! Two wraps on the winch, secured either in the jaws of the self tailing winch or on the cleat horn, then the rest loosely wrapped around the winch.
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For our coils that sit on a flat surface, like the roller furling line or travelers (or all of these on Rhythm!), we use a specific gasket. After coiling your line, simply pull a bite of the line from the standing end, twist twice, then fold it on top of the coil. This will hang the coil!
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Finally, for sail flaking, give this technique a shot. It's what we use on the docks and we've found it to be really quick and easy.
1: Flake at the mast, always beginning on the starboard side and alternating the fold at each sail slug. Don't worry about the rest of the sail! 2: Working from the clew and following the leech (the outer edge), flake and shake out each fold to ensure no wrinkles. Guiding each flake with the leech helps control the sail without worrying about the baggy middle. 3: Tie sail ties at each batten and continue until it's all buttoned up!
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We're always here to help you at the docks, so if you're ever looking for support on stowage techniques, don't hesitate to give us a shout!
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One of the hardest things to grasp and retain coming out of your 101 is the rules of the road (or river!). The sheer amount of them is almost comedic, and under pressure, I find they fly out of my head. The rules for when a boat must stand-on or give-way is a crucial one for a busy Saturday in July, and like anything, best practiced. One of our amazing members Hannes Hapke recently created an amazing game for remembering the rules. In this example, the stand-on and give-way vessel rights are discussed as right-of-way rules. Check it out!
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Though our racers have been at it all winter, the races are really starting to pick back up this month. Monday night races are back in full swing, and the SYSCO Thursday night series will be starting up on April 16th. Anyone looking to refine their trimming skills, learn some race tactics, or just come down to be a part of our dedicated community of racers, try coming down on Mondays to see how you like the feel of racing. Boats start rigging at 5 PM and are on the water at 6, and if you're feeling confident in your racing, come on down Thursday night's at the same time.
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We've also have a new J-24 on the way! Wonder Woman will be joining the fleet by the end of the month, so there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to get out there racing and progress their sailing journey.
It's also starting to get back to Government Island season! A great, simple overnight spot, it's one of the joys to wake up on a sailboat. The cruising group is a great means to get comfortable with overnights and expand your range. Sign up to the email list at the button below and keep active on the members' forum, as opportunities to go sailing upriver with friends will get more and more frequent!
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As the horizon draws near... |
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One of our values at Island Sailing is Truth & Honesty: Only by being truthful and honest with others and ourselves can we actually grow and mature.
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People progress as sailors when and if they intrinsically get this, or they eventually stop sailing. Your local waters, any area you are sailing in, the sea, indeed nature itself for that matter, does not care what we think. It cares not for what we might be wishing for or what we believe in - and it cares even less if we are lying to ourselves and each other. Nature simply is. Stark, raw, and sometimes downright uncomfortable reality is the only navigation chart that really matters if and when we are actually "being" sailors. If we don't deal with "what is" (and, like the river, it is always changing), if we lose sight of that in a fog of ego, self aggrandizement, or self delusion, we risk more than just the loss of our boat. For a good skipper, for anyone who wishes to call themselves a good sailor, self deception and denial carry an exorbitant price. Over confidence, dismissal of an awareness of our or our boat's limitations, dismissing our crew's input, refusing to accurately and as objectively as possible read the conditions or situation can, and most likely will, spell catastrophe.
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Honesty, forthrightness, in effect: integrity is what keeps us and our crew safe. A crew that feels that they aren't being listened to, that they can't speak up, and that may then hesitate to do so when it might be critical in the moment becomes something other than a "crew". If you bring up something that doesn't feel right in your gut and hear something in response from the skipper to the effect of "don't worry about it..." you should get off of that boat at the very earliest next opportunity. A valid response would be, "I'm not worried about anything; I'm taking care of essential boat business..." because listening to and trusting your gut instinct is essential. What is true on a boat, out on the water - that world of ever changing light, and also in nature (which is the embodiment of constant change), is true in any community. Shared honesty builds trust - the absence or loss of that erodes it, and communities not built on trust are not communities - no, they are entirely something else. There are times and places throughout our collective history when loud and belligerent voices normalize exactly that - a persistent dismissal of reality, a blatant re-writing of facts, a down right dismissal of facts, namely an embracing of certainty - in effect, setting people totally adrift with no anchor in reality whatsoever. Becoming a sailor - "being" a sailor - means we understand this - we know the difference; we learn to read the conditions; we learn to trust our gut. What we believe and what we stand for at Island Sailing, and what we are creating together as a community at Island Sailing, is all built on a different premise. We want to ask, and be asked, the hard questions. We strive to read the conditions and make assessments as honestly as possible. We speak up if something seems, or is, wrong. If we are on the right course, we will always bring that same commitment to truth and honesty to how we show up for each other, on and off the water because... at Island Sailing after all - we are sailors.
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Explore More - Learn More - Sail More And See Our Weather Links and - Check Out Our Youtube Channel! (Links on the bottom of our website) |
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