Hey Tom,

One of the biggest changes I've undergone as a cruiser in recent years, is my increasing enjoyment of light air sailing... I still much prefer sailing in a breeze, of course, but at least I've finally come around to the point of enjoying the challenge and resultant satisfaction of sailing thru the lighter stuff... Adding a Code 0 to my sail inventory has made a big difference for a boat as heavy as mine, and a spinnaker of course... Most cruisers appear to obsess over heavy weather tactics, but sadly really don't seem to understand the importance of having your boat set up to deal with the far more commonplace lighter airs...

Some of the most pleasant sailing I had last winter was the light air meandering I had down thru the Florida Bay side of the Keys, ghosting through some of the cuts through the mangroves. and across the bays like Blackwater Sound, or dicey spots like Steamboat Channel, with just a couple of inches of water under the keel...

Below is one of my favorite sights so far this year, watching a group of young sailors returning to the Lauderdale YC after a day of training out in the ocean... They were fighting a strong ebb current under the 17th Street Causeway bridge, using every trick in the book to keep those boats moving in the faintest and most fickle of breeze - it was truly a thing of beauty to watch...

Hope you have a great summer up there, with many more days ahead like the one you've described so nicely...

best regards,

Jon