Evening of 8/7: Rhonda's first sail

As a freshly minted skipper, the first thing I wanted to do is get my wife out on the boat. So as soon as I paid for my membership, I requested a boat. Since there were Sonars available, I decided we'd go for that. My classmates were assembling over at the Boston Sail Loft for some apres-sail, but I figured I could catch up with them after a little sail. After a short ride from the launch, we're aboard Scoundrel and I'm running her through the parts of the boat and how you rig the sails. As my foredeck person, I also teach her the ropes when it comes to handling the jib sheets. It doesn't take long, and we're under way plying through Boston Harbor. The only drama on this trip was when we came back to shoot the ball. My first mooring experience as skipper went as smoothly as most first-time skippers, which is to say it was a complete disaster! It took 5 tries to finally catch the ball and get her secured. In the aborted attempts I had many near-disasters: drifting back into the Boston Yacht Haven with it's multi-million dollar mega-yachts, coming into the mooring too hot, etc. I'm sure the staff posted up on the pier are having a laugh at my expense. On the fifth try we nail it, and I couldn't be happier. This first mooring experience totally shot my nerves. I need a drink. Boston Sail Loft here we come ...