Austin Yacht Club

Sounds pretentious, doesn't it? It was far from it.

I responded to an ad on craigslist for free sailing lessons, and although I was expecting them to try to sell me something after the supposed lesson, I went for it anyways. I showed up at Austin Yacht Club a half hour early, having left my house in plenty of time not to miss any action. It was almost 100 degrees, and wind was a mere 5 knots at best; I was armed with sunscreen and Dale's Pale Ale (have I mentioned I love Dale's Pale?). I took a look around the docks and trailers at some beautiful boats before the class and was getting excited.

It finally came time for the class, and there turned out to be quite a few people in attendance (maybe 15). The first part of the lecture: "We aren't selling anything- we just like to sail!". I was relieved. I spent the next hour listening about parts of the boat, how to use the wind- all the basics I already know but have to go through to get to the next level. Yep. They have levels. I can go every month, learn more and more, and crew in a race on a J-24 (or some other boat) for free! Man, I am loving this. To race, these boats need 5 people. So the owners/skippers are looking for good folks to hang with and be good sailors. Sign me up!

The gentleman with whom I sailed after the lecture part of the class had a trimaran, or as he called it, a "cat-and-a-half". The wind picked up a little, I got in some good time on the tiller, and shared some beer. Of course: the owner/captain turned out to be a home brewer. Like I needed another sign that I had reached Nirvana.

The larger boat was fast and exciting- and expensive. I'll put it this way: the main sail was about 10x the cost of my entire Sunfish and trailer. The hulls on the outside folded up easily so it could be put on a trailer, and it had a daggerboard (like a retractable keel) to make it even simpler.

Well, my hat is off to the Yacht Club and the nice people I met. I will be back every chance I get.

Attached cellphone pics: trailer lot, trimaran ready for boarding, main sheet (view from the back moving at about 7 knots)