and it never saw the light of day. 20 kts and too much sail is more drama than I want these days. We had a houseful of guests over the holiday weekend. This sail, was the grande finale' of a long weekend in Maine.

Non-sailors are a challenge. Deck under water, bar tight sheets, seasickness,...too many risks. So flying jib and jigger, we hugged the lee of the high coast of Western Penobscot Bay to ride the flat water below.

Wind flukey, the boat would lumber silently at 4 to 5 knots in the lee the Camden Hills, then suddenly feel the power rush through an open valley, and Xmas would lean just a bit, and accelerate and hold onto 7 knots effortlessly for a mile or so.

No drama at the helm, easy.

It was just as well the main slept. Except for a buffet underway on the bridgedeck showing off local fresh Maine provisions(you need a flat sailer and a good cook for that), our 6 guests(and 2 dogs), flocked to the big foredeck that was quietly hissing it's way up the bay. This has always been a favorite spot for a group on our boat. And it's well known that Mary Ann will often serve up something sparkilng and bubbly through the forward hatch for a toast, which she did.

It's hard to impress non-sailors. "Like watching grass grow,..." Most haven't a clue what's going on. It's up to me to show them, at the very least, that there is a beauty to sailing. One of my new friends on Facebook(I got 3 from this sail ), made this phone photo she took, her cover photo.

I think she got it.