Master of My Summer, Captain of My Boat

I bought my sailboat three summers ago.

The first summer, it sat in my yard.

The second summer, I finally got help getting it in the water.

But I couldn't get it out in time.

I watched my boat toss violently during a storm, ripping out two cleats and damaging my motor because I didn't know how to operate the mount.

I managed to sail a few times that summer. Once I went alone and would have run aground had my son not come to my rescue. (Read about my first solo sail here.)

This summer I wanted to take matters into my own hands.

I started with the easy stuff.

I bought an Ultrafeed LSZ walking-foot sewing machine for serious heavy-duty canvas work. Sewing is something I know how to do very well, and now I had the right machine for the job.

I made a sail cover. A motor cover. Cockpit cushions. Cabin cushions.

I should have bought that machine years ago.

Of course, I didn't dare attempt to sew my own sail. I had it fabricated by Doyle Sails, a respected sailmaker that made the original sails for all of Com-Pac's catboats.

I sat on my boat one afternoon studying the rigging to figure out how to remove the old, ripped sail and put on the crisp, new one. When the sail kept getting stuck halfway up the mast every time I hoisted it, I did some troubleshooting and found a solution.

I installed a bimini for shade and modified the height to fit under the boom. I researched and upgraded the plastic components with stainless steel hardware and learned how to use power tools to cut the frame to size.

I bought a new Tohatsu 6 hp long-shaft motor because the old motor had become unreliable. I practiced motoring and docking. Eventually I was able to get the motor to start after a couple of pulls instead of ten. Handling the tiller started to become muscle memory, even when I couldn't make sense of steering in reverse.

I learned how to handle the dock lines and keep the boat securely tied up. I practiced different nautical knots like the bowline, figure-eight knot, and double half hitch.

And then I learned how to hitch the trailer. How to drive with it. How to back it up. How to back it down the ramp. How to launch the boat. How to retrieve it.

By the end of the summer, I could move my own boat. I could finally take it anywhere I wanted.

I'm still dreaming of trailering to the Chesapeake. Maybe next summer.

I motored a lot.

I sailed three times.

My new sail?

I used it once.

A note on the title: Inspired by William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”.

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

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