I got the chance to take the helm of a 30 foot keelboat last weekend. It had soft cushions, a head, a bimini, and a nice big electronic chart above the wheel. Music drifted out of two speakers strategically placed in the back of the cockpit. When we got tired of fighting the current, we cranked on the diesel engine and motored back to the dock. There was good company on the boat, but I didn’t enjoy the sailing it as much as I do on RowBird. To be fair to the keelboat, it could have been a Herreshoff, but because I’m in love with RowBird, it wouldn’t have mattered.
In RowBird, I feel close to the water. Each bump, each gust, each splash seems intimate. Although high enough and dry, I’m right down near the water. I love that I am in the boat, but not on it. On the keelboat, I was well above the water, sailing yes, but not thinking so much about the water itself.
RowBird will handle some challenging conditions when I focus my mind on the wind and the waves. Secretly, I like the scary feeling that if I don’t pay careful attention, the boat and I could end up more in the water than I’d like. On the keelboat, I mostly worried about staying in the channel.
Read the full post on Terrapin Tales.
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source http://yachtaweigh.com/why-i-still-love-rowbird/
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