We thought we had northerly winds at 10-15 knots gusting 20 that would make for a good beam reach down to Port Jefferson. With two reefs in the main and half a jib (a little more cautious than usual given our experience the day before), we set out. The winds were blowing much closer to the 20 knot end, but we were riding comfortably with reduced sail, making over 5 knots even with 2 knots of current against us. By 1 pm, the winds were dying so we shook out the reefs to gain speed. Uh, what a mistake. Not only did the winds pick up again, but then proceeded to shift from north to north west and back again, making it necessary for constant sail adjustments. I personally hate sailing close hauled (as far into the wind as you can), heeled over in messy water. Trip acknowledged that we would normally reef again, but that we needed the speed at that point to get the sail over with and get into harbor. I was uncomfortable (I absolutely hate this kind of sailing), but we weren’t in any danger. We managed to get into Port Jeff and drop anchor just as the sun was going down. It was the same routine as the night before (drink, dinner, bed) with the addition of some Advil for all the aches and pains of constant sail trim.
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