What was so bad? I sailed out and I sailed back. That is the problem. I intended to NOT sail back! I left Dana with the intent to got to Newport and spend a few days there, but after 5 hours of sailing in the fog I ended back at Dana!

It was foggy all morning and I sailed for 5 hours without seeing much. Every few minutes I blew on a fog horn, sort of like that South African zuzu-vela soccer thing to let everyone know I was there. Funny though, in all that open nothingness I did come pretty darn close to another sailboat going the other direction. He had to veer off to avoid a collision. (Since I was under sail and he was motoring, I had the right of way and he was the one expected to veer off…

I am not sure what all happened, but here is what I thought was happening: Newport is about 12 miles at 300 degrees ( a bit west of north, which is 360, right?) from Dana. I left Dana with the wind coming from the northwest (300 degrees) and I sailed a course of 240 (a bit south of west) for 8 miles. When I tacked back I should have sailed from my location out there on a new course of 360, or due north, for 8 miles, to arrive at Newport. Remember geometry? A squared plus B squared = C squared? (where A is Dana, C is Newport, AC is Dana to Newport and ABC is the course to get there…. (and you all thought my mind was going to mush out here. This sailing thing takes MATH!!!)

Anyway when the fog cleared after 5 hours of sailing I was just off shore back at Dana. HMMMMMM. There must have been a shift in the time warp continuum because I should have been at Newport after all that.

I am not sure if my math was wrong or my piloting was wrong or my compass was wrong, but I do know I am back here at Dana tonight. HMMM, I need to do some research and maybe some learnin to figure this all out.

One fun thing was as I sailed into Dana I was on a “broad reach” which means the wind was over my back shoulder and I set a new sail speed record for my sailing career, 8 knots. (about 9 miles per hour…) The wind was strong and I was going with the ocean current and there were some big waves giving me a kick in the butt once in a while which really got me moving!