Dear Friend of CHARIAD:

This past Saturday, CHARIAD team members went out for our first real sail of the season. This was a training and practice day for experienced and a couple new crew. We all needed the time on the boat and on the water.

Spin up, gibe, gibe, gibe, spin down. Tack, tack, tack. That was the drill.

We had a middle of the summer spin run just outside the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. We were heading offshore with the spin up working on “pole up, trip, made!” Chris Hardy and Avery Meyer were trading off on the bow. As we moved folks to different positions at the mast, the wind did a 180 and we finished the drill sailing back to the mouth of the harbor with the spin still up.

Saturday was a wonderful day to be on the water. We made good progress remembering how to sail the boat and bringing some less experienced folks along. Putting a talented team on the boat with different levels of familiarity with the boat and each other is always a challenge. Not easy work, but we are in a better place for investing the time learning how to work as a team.

Allison Conboy shot a wonderful video of scenes from Saturday.

Here is the crew on board plus Steve Herman who took the photo.

CHARIAD crew out for practice sail in Marblehead, Massachusetts

My tradition with the launch of a new sailing season is to re-publish an ode to our cycle of life.

A SPRING PARABLE

For six months of snow and cold,
The Mighty CHARIAD sleeps.
Only her dreams are bold.
No winches are grinding, no sails are flapping
No waves are crashing and no orders a’ shouting.
The CHARIAD crew passes the long winter nights
snug in their beds.
Visions of tacks, of jibes, of starts and of finishes
dance in their heads.

Gradually the days grow longer.
February becomes March, and March becomes April.
Coolness is still on the air, but there is a stirring.
Even before the first robin is near,
The CHARIAD crew magically appear,
As if by some primordial instinct,
Mighty CHARIAD awakes with a start.

The crew sets themselves to polishing, painting,
rigging and roping.
By the 1st of May in each year, a renewed and refitted
CHARIAD appears.
With a splash and a dash, she throws off the dock lines
“Grind Ken, pull Bobby, jibe Herb, trim Peg” is heard
She glides away to sailing’s call
and a great summer for all.

I will admit to being amazed that we make this transition from winter to spring and summer each year. Real treat for me.

OK, here is a photo of Mary Hennessey – I believe in Rome – staying connected to the CHARIAD community.

Mary just returned from a wonderful excursion with her daughter and was on board Saturday.

Our first race is next Saturday. Hard work getting to this point. I am excited by the start of the sailing season and being with this great team of people.

I hope you are doing well. Stay in touch.

Rick