After only a few days of living on our boat, we were ready for a sailing lesson in the San Francisco bay. My dad, Heldor, who had been boat-sitting for us since we purchased our 45 foot long Robertson and Cain Leopard Catamaran in October was the captain on day one. We started out with a briefing on how things work on a boat and the importance of listening and obeying everything the captain says. It was a great lesson on following orders to ensure the safety of everyone and everything on the boat.

The rule is that you do everything the captain orders and if you question why, that is open for later discussion, but not in the moment as lives and safety could be at risk. There was not much wind so we motored out into the San Francisco Bay with beautiful views of the Bay Bridge and city. Unfortunately there was not much wind and so with me at the helm we only had about 15 minutes of sailing with our jib up. It was a fun afternoon out on the water with some great beginning lessons to being out on a boat as a family and crew.

Two days later our local friends Wendall and Bruce took us out for a refresher course on sailing. We all have sailing experience but wanted some help to get used to our boat and the local waters of San Francisco. After motoring from Alameda’s channel to the Bay we were ready to hoist the sails and catch a bit of wind. Although the winds were not strong we were still grateful to have an opportunity to feel the breeze and freedom of being out on the water on a beautiful sunny day. As we were not moving very fast we lowered the dingy from the back of the catamaran while Jaeden and Dailin went with our local friends for a spin around our sailboat. It was a great opportunity to take some photos and videos with the sails up. Our sailing home for the next year.

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