Sailing in Madang

Shan Skailyn has been the source of immeasurable fun for our family over this last week. This is the first we've been able to really use the boat since its maiden voyage back in March. It was even more easy to use after the trailer was built. It's so much easier to get the boat into and out of the water now! We've gone out paddling with the kids just about every day, going out to one of the many little islands sprinkled around these clear blue waters. It's been fun for kids when we pull up to a small beach and play and swim for a bit. Our girls have made quick friends with the locals who are often out swimming and who gravitate to us when they see us pulling up.

I must retract my previous comment about Shan Skailyn not being a good paddling canoe at all. It certainly has its quirks, but with a little more experience after this week, I've found that it takes understanding the conditions that affect steerage under paddle power to get things to work right. Weight distribution is a big one. Too much fore or aft can make a big difference, as does the way the wind plays off the hull. Whichever end of the hull is sticking up more out of the water is going to get blown. And if the wind is strong enough, paddling with a brailed sail is nearly impossible as it constantly wants to turn the boat backwards. It's similar, though maybe not as bad with the sail just open and weathercocking.

In the past, I've always alternated between paddling and the steering oar, paddling and then using the oar to correct our direction. Not too bad, but seems clumsy. But yesterday I played with some slightly different paddling strokes that resulted in much easier maintenance of direction. I'd like to experiment with this more to see if it works in various conditions. I think I may have hit on something here that can reduce the need for the oar. The short of it though is that I'm encouraged about the paddle-ability of Shan Skailyn now.

I started leaving Shan Skailyn in the water, anchored in the little bay each day. That makes it easier to go out on a whim for whatever amount of time works for our family. On Friday alone I went out 3 times! Twice sailing and once paddling with the kids. Friday produced some excitement on the sailing front as it was the first time out totally on my own. I've been anxious to see how I can handle all that needs doing when there is nobody else to help. I certainly have to learn a few things and get a routine down to make it happen smoother.

For example, on Friday I went out in the afternoon in a stiff wind. Paddling out of our shallow little bay into the strong wind proved exhausting. This was before I learned I could improve my technique some. Once out, I really struggled getting the sail raised in that wind before the boat would get completely turned around and threaten overturning. I finally managed, though I was so tired afterward that I wondered if I had anything in me left to sail with. Perseverence paid off though because the wind was strong enough to get me cruising pretty good out there. Shan Skailyn was moving at the more exciting speeds and producing some spray off the bow of the ama and around the leeboard and rudder at times. It felt good to feel like things were under control as I captained all by myself.

I was feeling confident enough by the weekend to take my whole family (except our 17 mo old son, Ethan) out for their first time sailing. The wind was disappointingly mild, being just enough to get us moving a bit, but achingly slow. Still my wife, Shannon and our three girls enjoyed it quite a bit. And prior to taking the whole family out, I took my middle daughter out on her own. She had the thrill of seeing a school of fish jumping out of the water in large groups. She thought that was the greatest thing! Both of our oldest girls keep wanting to just jump in the water out in the middle of the sea there. It strikes me how brave they are as I was always scared to be in deep water like that when I was young. In fact, I still don't like it even though I realize my fears are mostly unreasonable.

After sailing with the whole family we pulled up to a nearby beach, anchored the boat just offshore and just swam around in the shallow water. I tried leaving the sail up and just let it weather cock under anchor. I saw that as the boat would sway back and forth, as it would swing starboard the wind would catch the sail and before the sail had a chance to really luff, the boat would begin moving forward. Then it would catch the anchor line again, whip back around and begin to swing to starboard again for another round. I'm trying to figure out the easiest ways to do things without all the extra work of brailing every time. The thing would lurch forward fast enough, moving 10-15 feet at a lurch, that I worried it would hit one of the kids in the head or something as they swam around. So probably not a good idea for the future. Brailing it will be.

Earlier in the week I took a couple of my friends out sailing (the only pictures I get of myself sailing). Again the conditions were pretty mild with just a few short lived breezes strong enough to get us up and going.

As time goes on I hope to seek more adventure and explore around the many coves and sheltered island beaches all around us. There are probably hundreds of little islands around here with 15 miles of us! It's beautiful and the local folks are usually friendly and happy to make friends and talk about boats and their life on the water.

I've got one more day before I have to start packing Shan Skailyn up here. I'll have some minor repairs (mostly painting) and small improvements I'd like to make before packing away. Due to logistics and the possibility of no available guesthousing out here in Madang for a while, it's looking like it could be another year before we can come back out and make use of our family canoe. The thought of packing it away is sad, but it does make the times we do get to come out here and use it all the more sweet.

By the way, isn't it nice to finally have some real pictures posted!