Navigation 101 - by Mary

Red-Right-Return...Port is Left (remember it by "port" has four letters and so does "left")...The best tack is when the wind comes perpendicular to the sail. Since we were heading mostly north or south that meant that the best winds were from the east. (Please see Sailorette's comments below. I need to take this part of the lesson over. Oh well, good excuse for another trip to Florida to go sailing again.) Lucky for us they were pretty much coming from the east for our two trips to Panther Key. It seemed like I would never quite understand all the ropes and rigging on Athena but as we continued to sail and I watched Sailorette tack and handle the boat, I came to understand some of the functions of the various ropes and sails. Sailorette made it look quite simple.
But soon it would be our turn to try to "sail the boat". Bev was eager and first to try. As you can see she looks like a natural as well.
On my try I tried to follow the instructions to "Keep the arrow between the two markers at the top of the mast." I tried to get the feel of it but found the wheel was so easy to turn compared to what one would expect for such a large "vehicle"! So, of course, I was over steering the boat and getting us into trouble. What made matters worse was that what I felt I needed to do instinctively to keep the "arrow in alignment" was just the opposite of what Sailorette was telling me to do. It took a few shouts and changes when I finally realized that the "arrow" I was looking at and reacting to was actually the tail of the arrow that I was supposed to be watching. That explains the effect of the opposite directions seeming appropriate. Once I could actually see the arrow things went a bit better but I was glad to give my steering chore back to Sailorette.
Up north when we go to the shore we are used to checking on the tides for high tide and low tide. High tide will not have much beach left so you will be blanket to blanket next to each other if high tide hits in the middle of the day. Low tide is what you wait for to go for long walks on the firm sand, search for stones and a few shells in the tidal pools and generally enjoy the cool wet sand underfoot. I much prefer the beach at low tide. But tides in the Mangroves are talked about rather differently and it seems the high tide is the tide to watch for because that makes it easier to get your boat out into the water. The first thing I learned is that there are "four tides" to consider: high-high tide, high-low tide, low-high tide and low-low tide. Not too mention the fact that the tides vary quite a bit from day to day in how fast they come and go and to what level they come and go. Instead of low tide being the thrill, the two high tides are what boaters look for. It is easier to get your boat out in deeper water because the draft of the boat is not scraping bottom. When the tide is out and low, many of the shores of the mangroves look like primordial mud flats, all sticky and goopy.
I certainly would not want to walk in that goop. But it does afford the shore birds fishing potential and they seem to enjoy the low tides as a time to fish in the primordial goop.
More to follow tomorrow!