Looking Ratty, Tad

[SailDesign]

So Tad, congrats on making the pages of SCA yet again!
Nice sails - but WHO is your sailmaker?
Enquiring minds need to know....

[Tad]

Oh jeez...from the title I thought this was going to be really bad.

Who is my sailmaker? The best guy in the PNW...Rick McBride of Leitch & McBride in Sidney BC. I might add that almost no one can get lug sails right these days, but Rick did a fine job right out of the box. Those sails are now four years old.

Tad

[SailDesign]

Tad,
You know I'd never say anything REALLY nasty...... I have to admit Josh is right - those sails are setting beautifully.
Why are the oars ready for immediate use, though?
Steve

[Tad]

Steve,

Course I know that.....

The oars had just been pulled in when that photo was taken. We came out of Montague Harbour heading north, the channel out is narrow and then there are a bunch of little islands and rock piles to take a shortcut through. This is the great thing about cruising in tiny boats, don't look at the chart or plotter, look around!! Anyway, the tide was flooding, (with us heading north) the wind was SW, thus we were running. But of course in amongst the rock piles there were back eddies in both wind and tide. And we were in a group of small boats, thus a race, and it was so still and quiet we would never start the engine.

When the picture was taken we had just broken out into the clean breeze in Trincomali Channel where we had a clear run north for about 9 miles. Then the wind shut off and we motored home to Silva Bay.

For those who don't have the magazine, here's the photo.


And later that day after the wind died.