Sunday I soloed in the rain. It was a beautiful day though a bit threatening with the cloud cover. I wasn't really aware of the rain, thinking it was spray, until I looked up and saw water running down the mast. I drove straight to Coney Island on the fastest tack the boat would take, fairly close to the beach for safety, though with less than ideal trim to moderate the speed. Once I reached the amusement park, I turned around. The waves are notably larger once past the protection of Breezy Point. It's a rough, bobbing sail in that kind of water. The rest of the day I spent in the protection of Ft. Tilden/Breezy Point, racing back and forth for speed only, without going over. Testing whether to turn up, turn down, or release the sheet for speed moderation.
The highway traffic through Coney Island was bad in the afternoon on my way out at 3pm. I am convinced that the backups occur because the Belt Highway goes by 2 beaches. At one there are fancy kite performances and at the second there are kite-boards, each creates a backup of slowing, staring drivers. While caught in this, I was listening to an NPR show about the atomic bombing of Japan. One of the planes was renamed "Necessary Evil" after the fact by Hollywood propagandist, to improve the chances that the bombing would view as necessary to end the war.
I thought this might be a good name for my boat. I've been wrestling with ideas for a name since I got the boat. It seems like something that normally comes naturally to me. And I even requested names from Facebook friends. Nothing is really sticking. In honor of the blog, the current best candidate is Veribold, as a twist of Variable and Very Bold. Still not certain though.
Sunday also marked my 16th time out sailing since I got Veribold, 8 weeks ago. I am happy, but I want to set a goal to move toward. A cruise to Fire Island? Sandy Hook, NJ? The Verrazano Bridge?
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