This Week

Edgewood sailors, facing two more days of grim weather this past weekend, postponed the season-opener picnic sail from Saturday to Monday, Memorial Day, when the local forecast became for fair weather and a nice westerly-tending breeze.  Monday's weather made the afternoon on the water much more attractive.  

Monday's sail had one boat's space available this week. For the next sail, check out "Narragansett BaySail" (rby.02).   Picnic Sails continue June 15, July 6 (the Alumni Picnic) and monthly through September.

The land-based family picnics and Edgewood's Day-Sailing Picnics have one thing in common: the weather.  Last summer, Edgewood's Rhodes-19 sailors explored the fringes of foul-weather sailing a few times  - -  once in fog and rain, a few times in challenging gusty winds when both skippers and crews successfully put their heavy-weather sailing skills to the test, with surprising and exhilarating afternoons.  This year has already brought a bout of heavy-weather challenging sailing to the Level 3 class, so a postponement to look for warmer, sunny, and drier afternoon seems 'allowed'.

Why Go for a Picnic?

Four-hour picnic sails push Edgewood skippers and crews out beyond the confines of ordinary practice sailing.  The trip, usually about 5 miles in each direction, runs south past the Conimicult Light, over to Barrington Beach, or southwest into the cove; and then back after a lunch break.  Sailing with spinnakers where possible, the sailors must also deal with navigation along the channel, and with recreational boaters and a few commercial carriers, tugs and barges.  The experience is a game-changer.   Sailors learn the fun of just "taking a boat and going."  They move out into the full Bay.  Of course, each trip brings along an Instructor keeping an eye of things, and ususally a "mother-ship" cruising boat which anchors at the picnic destination and serves as the rendez-vous  and support boat .