Mercury Sailboat Picture obtained from CBI website

Community Boating Inc, CBI, has been the best place for me to learn how to sail and windsurf (I am sure many people in Boston would agree with me on this). For years now, CBI has been my best-friend when it comes to the summer and water activity in the Boston area. For the first one year of my membership at CBI, I have only been windsurfing. I have not been out on a sailboat much although I have had my Solo rating for quite a while. Then, on mid-July 2002, I decided to pursue sailing more seriously. Actually, I was originally only thinking of getting my Helmsman rating, and then went right back to Windsurfing. I need my Helmsman rating because the Solo rating need to be renewed every year (i.e. I would have to re-take the Solo test) while the Helmsman rating stays with you. But as soon as I received my Helmsman rating, I discovered my love for sailing and I was amazed at the many things experienced sailors can do with a sailboat (that I couldn't). I realized that I had many things to learn, and I was determined to pass every test and get every rating for all 5 kinds of sailboats they have in CBI: Mercury, Laser, HP Sloop/420, Rhodes 19 and Sonar. Here is the progress of my Sailing Rating Odyssey:

July 28, 2002: Passed the Kayak test (this is the easiest, no reasons for anyone to fail!) August 4, 2002: Took my first Helmsman test - failed it! My jibings were too violent (almost capsized the boat). August 5, 2002: Took my second Helmsman test - failed it! My boat ran aground after avoiding collision with a beginner windsurfer. August 6, 2002: Took my third Helmsman test on a rough 18 knots (about 21 miles/hour) day and PASSED it. Yeah!!! This is the beginning of everything! August 11, 2002: Took the Laser class and passed the Basic Laser rating test.

CBI Dock House Picture obtained from CBI website

Me on my favorite Sailboat: the Laser September 15, 2002

August 15, 2002: Took my first Full Laser rating test - failed it! I did not sit front and out enough, I did not sail close-hauled enough when told to (was sailing close-reached!). August 20, 2002: Took Shore II class, learning the advanced theory of sailing: Use of jib, sailing without a rudder, heave-to, etc. August 21, 2002: Took Jib I class, learning how to sail with a Mainsail and a Jib, doing the Man-Over-Board drill, tacking and jibing with the help of the jib, positioning of weight in the boat, etc. Also learn how to sail without a rudder. It's absolutely amazing! August 22, 2002: Passed my Full Laser rating test and went planing across the Charles on this amazing and super-fast Laser boat. 2 ratings down, 3 to go. August 30, 2002: Did my first Mercury racing (no crew) on a day when there was barely any wind. I finished 7th or 8th place a couple of times (there were about 15 boats racing), and finished 3rd on the last race. Wasn't bad for the first time, right?

August 31, 2002: Just when you think you have it all figured out and that you are pretty good, it comes back and hits you hard in the face. After waiting so long for a good wind day, it finally came. I took my first Jib Rating test, and for the first time, I capsized a Mercury boat. The best part of it was that my crew had just capsized his boat a half hour earlier, dried himself up, changed his clothes and ready to go out when I asked him to be my crew for the test. Just a few minutes out, the wind shifted and because of my unreadiness, I capsized the boat. Sorry, Bob! A big slap in the face for being a little complacent! And to my defense, there were at least 10 boats that capsized that day. September 11, 2002: One year after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. And it was absolutely the windiest day of the season. There's a tropical storm just over the Cape, and Boston was getting some of it. It was gusting over 50 miles/hour, and I was hoping the day to be my best sailing day ever. Well, CBI was closed early because of the storm, and I was lucky that I didn't get a chance to go out! Everybody that got a chance to go out was completely smashed: "too windy, too gusty, too shifty! Don't even try, man!" I would have been smashed all over the Charles if I had gone out. This day I learned that too much wind is not good either :) October 5, 2002: It's my roommate's, Jozef, birthday, and it happens to be one of the most windy day of the season (15-25 knots with gust of over 35 knots). So, we went out on a Mercury, and we planed it! Yup! We planed a Mercury. Believe it, it can be done! This day is definitely my best [Mercury] sailing day (yet)! October 20, 2002: My first day sailing in a 420. Maurico, a CBI friend, took me out on a 420 (there wasn't enough wind for me to go on a Laser that day). I was very impressed by how good those 420 boats are. They are much faster than a Mercury, much more responsive and easier to control. But they are still a bit slower than the Laser :) and it's quite a pain because you need exactly two people to go out on a 420. Nevertheless, they are still amazing boats! I will definitely get the 420-rating next year!   2003 Season   April 19, 2003: After one of the longest and coldest winter ever in Boston (well, I had the greatest time of my life skiing, so I have no complaint about the winter), this is the first time I went sailing this season. The weather was freezing cold and so was the water. I went sailing with my brother for about half an hour on a Mercury and that's about it! We had to sail back because it was way too cold. I decided this day that I would wait for at least another month before I would consider sailing again.

June 27, 2003: And so it was two months instead of one before I went out sailing again. It wasn't bad but wasn't great either. I was out on a Laser for the first time this season to re-gain my control and confidence on this amazing sailboat. It was only about 10-15 knots wind, so it's definitely not enough for me to really enjoy :) But I guess it's good to go easy on the first day. July 5, 2003: My best day Laser sailing yet! The wind was about 15-20 knots and from the North West. Now I know that North West is my favorite wind direction. The wind was very continuous and steady. The puffs were strong and predictable. I was planing on the Charles like crazy! I probably went planing every single run and I spent more time planing the boat than sailing. My speed must be close to 30 miles an hour (or more?). The only things faster than me in the water were Windsurfers (and may be some 420s), and this already includes motor boats. This made me reconsider Windsurfing again this season :)

A 420 sailboat Picture obtained from CBI website

July 26, 2003: My first time Windsurfing this season :) I was actually planning to take my full windsurfing test since I never got the chance to take it even though I have been out windsurfing on some of the windiest days in the Charles. But the wind was not strong enough and I did go out windsurfing for about a half hour. I quit early because I was getting a little tired (believe it or not, I used to windsurf for hours without a harness) and more importantly, I had a movie to catch: Pirates of the Caribbean.

Copyright © 2002 by Rudy Rudy. All rights reserved.