Beach Boys in Denmark

Today we tasted the worst and best of downwind sailing, that is, sailing with the wind right behind us. 

We were expecting a warm southerly wind and that made us hum ' Blow the Wind Southerly' as we trekked to the showers in the morning. We were headed north to the top of the thin island called Langeland and part way down the west side. 

First we had to extricate ourselves from the box berth. The night before, a giant German yacht had barged in beside us even though one of the berthing poles was missing which meant it might lean on us dangerously if something went wrong. We were discomfited, but asked them to change their ropes around so their enormous ropes were not looped over our little ones at the moment of leaving. This monster made Sirena IV look like a minnow. (see pic) 

In the event, leaving the harbour proved pretty straightforward. We imnediately began to sail using just the foresail or genoa, and we didn't even let all of it out. 

That moment of switching off the engine is magical. All you hear is the wind and the chuckle of water at the stern. And at first we were blasting along at 7 knots. Then the wind shifted, the waves grew, our speed fell and the boat began rolling back and forth like a toy plastic boat in a bath plonked by childish hands. It's a good thing we don't get seasick. But it is a very unpleasant motion and can be slightly risky if you don't move carefully. All the glasses and bottles and jars in all the cupboards rattle then stop, rattle then stop in the most annoying way.

After an hour or more of this torture we put the sail over the other side of the boat and let it all out. Suddenly we were doing not a clanking thumping 3.5 knots, but 4 knots or more in a smoother fashion. And the waves flattened and suddenly it was heaven. 

It was me,  Lesley, on the helm at this point- and the effortless warm quiet dash of our downwind sail made me think of California and the Beach Boys. The deep blue sea flecked with white and the pale blue sky helped. I began singing 'Sloop John B' to myself as i peered up at our foresail bellied by the wind. I even recorded some of the lovely gurgle of our progress on my phone. (Not my singing, don't worry)

It was the best sail this summer, for me. Don't get me wrong, I also love the great pull of a close reach (when the wind is in front of us and off to one side) but that is full of fierce energy and it's a different vibe.

Give me the Beach Boys and the California dream of going downwind.

And now we rest in Lohals as the southerly still blows outside the cockpit.