Finally, some real sailing!

After a whole month on dry land, we finally managed to get Necessity in the water. We got a bit of a late start, not getting to Windmill Marina in Afton, MN until 11:30. We're thinking about keeping the boat in dry storage, since we all hate the wasted time of putting up and taking down the rig every time. We seem to like the St. Croix best of all the places we've been, and it's also the closest drive for us. Windmill is one of only a few places on the river that do dry storage, so we took the opportunity to check them out.

The facilities at Windmill are first rate, and there were always dockhands around to assist boaters in just about any job, from tying up to the dock to getting the boat on the trailer. The restrooms were spotless. We failed to note the closing time of the main office, so we were unable to talk with any of the administrative people about those details, but we can take a drive out during the week if we feel it's necessary, or talk with them next time we sail.

Rigging the boat took a bit longer than normal; Julie was trying to give the kids some jobs, and took some extra time to explain how to tie on fenders and docklines and such. We launched the boat without incident, and motored out into the channel. The wind was from the south, and I wanted to get north of St. Mary's Point before hoisting the sails. This we did, and when we turned west sailing on a reach, we moved! We were sailing as fast as Necessity had ever gone. The wind was 12-18, and a bit gusty, so we started with one reef in the main with the full 110% lapper jib. That proved to be a good combination all day. We planned to stop at the island across from the St. Croix Marina at Hudson, so zigzagged up the river, gybing all the way.

We noticed a regatta in progress on the Wisconsin side of the river and figured it was the St. Croix Sailing Association. There were at least 15 boats going at it. As each one rounded the windward mark, a colorful spinnaker would break out and set. A pretty impressive sight, and one which we all enjoyed. By the time we sailed up to the mark, all the boats were heading back downwind. We sailed over and rounded the mark, too, just for fun. We continued upriver, munching sandwiches between course changes, and enjoying the feel of sailing in a good breeze. As we approached the I-94 bridge, we turned into the wind and doused the sails. We motored under the bridge, slowing to no-wake speed. A passing powerboat didn't throttle down enough, and was stopped by the Sheriff's patrol boat. We saw them stop several boats that day, mostly for speed in restricted areas.

We made a straight-on approach to the island's north shore and got her beached and secured. The kids scrambled out to find our neighbors' boat and returned with Judy, the mom, in tow. Her husband, Kim, was off helping someone fix his boat, and her son, Kyle, was playing with friends. We wandered around and found Kyle and the kids swam for a bit. We met some of the other weekend residents of the island, all powerboaters, before walking over to Judy's boat. Kyle was in the water, sitting on a big block of foam and wearing fins. He was racing another kid in a rowboat. Judy explained that a big floating dock, with several expensive boats attached, had broken away during a big storm upriver. The foam block was part of the dock's flotation system and had washed ashore nearby.

We let the kids swim for a little longer, then said our goodbyes just as Kim appeared from behind a nearby boat. The wind was still fresh, though directly on our nose for the return trip. We were temped to sail back to Windmill, but it was getting late and we opted to motor. Powerboat wakes rocked us a lot more this time, and there was a little chop to contend with. It made for a slightly wet ride, but it was nice just relaxing against the bulkhead while Julie steered us back. After we got home, I realized that we'd not taken a single picture on a day filled with great scenery. Ah, well - next time.

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