October 4 and 5 -- Two VERY Different Sails

One difference was that these were Lene's first two sails of the season that were not on our cruise. But the two days were so different from each other in terms of wind and other activities.
The first day was with Jeff and Anthony, who have sailed with us in prior years.

In hindsight we should have aborted the sailing -- too much wind. Thirty five knots and a bit more in puffs. The first mistake was in motoring off the mooring. I saw that both the ball and the pickup stick were to port and directed Lene to motor forward. She did, but not fast enough, and the wind pushed us sideways onto the rig destroying the pickup stick and one of the two bridles.
With the second reef I had put in the main before we left. we sailed and turned off the engine.

It was slow so after the jibe to head a bit more east -- we unfurled the small jib too. But when we got headed up to where the wind was close to the beam the boat was overpowered -- too much helm and not enough control -- so we furled the head sail and proceeded under only the double reefed main at speeds of up to six knots. We went in to Manhasset Bay for a more sheltered area in which to sail and got as far in as the race committee barge before tacking to beat our way out. Progress was slow against the strong wind and waves and on the second tack the main blew out.
Actually it was not the sail itself, but only the bowline of the reefing line at the aft end of the boom. In the picture, the line both slopes down diagonally from the lower end of the sail to the aft end of the boom, pulling the sail aft, and loops under the boom where the knot blew out to pull the sail down. Without the aft end pulled tight, the sail flailed and was useless so we lowered it. Later inspection showed that the stub end of the knot I tied was too short and that the whipping rubbed off the line and the knot became undone. The line is long enough for me to leave a longer stub, and by putting a stopper knot at its end I can insure against recurrence.
In any event, we motored, slowly, rather directly into the wind over toward the east side of Manhasset Bay, There the wind was far enough off our starboard bow that we could use the small jib again, under which we sailed home, without the engine, again at up to six knots.
At the destination, having alerted the launch operator as to what I would need, he came out in the launch and we were under motor again. Anthony transferred from ILENE to the launch with our boat hook while both boats were underway, grabbed the remnants of the bridles with the hook and then in hand while standing on the launch and handed them to me on the bow of ILENE while Lene steered ILENE. I really have to thank Anthony who was a big help with grinding winches as well as grabbing the mooring and to Lene's steering ability.

It was not as cold as we had been led to believe but we all repaired to the Club for dinner before heading home.

We sailed the next day with Christine and Heather, also repeat guest sailors, including a few days in the Miami area in 2015. Again, it was cold but not as cold as predicted and a lot less windy.
But before the sail, I participated with about 40 guys and gals in the Harlem's annual fall work party, from 9:30 to 1:00. A lot of work got done. I was mostly involved with the pulling of weeds and the cutting of vines and eventually three trees at the north side of "the farm, our area across the street from the clubhouse. We got a lot of future firewood and filled a dumpster with vegetation. And I got a wee taste of what it must have been like to pick cotton. Other teams did indoor repairs, gardening, washed the windows and put new "sacrificial" two by fours on the sides of the dock's pilings so that the docks would wear away the two by fours rather than the pilings themselves.

Others filled a big pothole in the parking lot with a blacktop patch and lowered and raised the flagpole because the flag halyard to its top had worn through, preventing the raising of the flag. Lowering the pole took a lot of guys holding a lowering line and the fork lift. The next two pics show the two ends of the pole when rotated down from its base and the last shows the tip top, with the line to be inserted through the little space just below the gold dome, showing blue sky.

I also brought our five gallon yellow jerry can of bilge water mixed with diesel ashore and transferred the contents into an empty can which was taken, along with other contributions from other members to a site at Orchard Beach where hazardous and polluting wastes were received.
 I missed most of the free lunch served at 1 p.m. to go sailing.
The wind was gentle and from the west. We sailed down to the south end of Little Neck Bay and back under full main and small jib. An easy pleasant sail. The opposite of the white knuckled sailing of the day before. Before leaving the mooring I had tied a second mooring pennant, part of an old genoa sheet, to the ring at the top of the mooring ball and attached an empty half gallon plastic milk bottle with handle to the bridles with a long line. Returning to the mooring, Lene steered excellently so my picking up that line with the boat hook was easy.
Lene and our guests left and I attended a very productive membership meeting  starting shortly after 5 pm, followed by the Oktoberfest party at 7: LOTS of German themed dishes.
A full day and a beautiful sunset behind a mix of the city skyline and Harlem masts.