After our ASA 101 course was complete we joined the PSSI Sailing Club.  This gave us access to their sailboats in Tacoma and Seattle.  We knew we were going to be sailing around the world for our retirement and wanted start logging time over the water.  The monthly membership dues were $35 which gave us access to their boats at reduced rental pricing.  What better way to figure out what you don’t know than renting a boat as often as possible?  We got our money’s worth finding out all things we still didn’t know.  We took turns taking out their Martin 24’ and their Catalina 27’.

When I started flying helicopters the first time you were allowed to take the helicopter out on your own without the instructor by your side was called your “nickel ride”.  You give your instructor a nickel after your first flight as a payment for the “nickel tour”.  It’s more of a tradition than the actual cost of the flight.  Unfortunately the payment for your first solo day sail tends to be a little pricier. 

For our first sail we decided to venture out of Commencement Bay and grab some lunch in Des Moines, WA at Anthony’s.  It was a pretty good day and we managed to get lucky with the tides and wind.  We made the trip in a little over 3 hours and pulled into the harbor around noon.  After we docked at the public slips we learned that Anthony’s opens after 4:30 M-F.  With lunch plans thwarted and a lesson learned to check your restaurant hours, Lisa and I decided to take a stroll down the waterfront area and grab a bite from the Farmers Market. 

After about an hour on shore we started to cast off the lines to return back to Tyee Marina and finish out our first solo day sail.   We were not as lucky with the winds on the way back as they dropped to around 1-2 kts for the rest of the afternoon.  So we started motorsailing on the way back South.  Not nearly as peaceful, but with a timeline to return the boat it’s good to have the option of the iron jib.  

In 2009 we finally got around to taking our first sailing class.  After years of talking about sailing for our retirement and reading about other couples living the dream we signed up for ASA 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing.  We were still living near Fort Lewis, WA so did a search of the local sail boat instructors.  We decided to go with Puget Sound Sailing Institute.   After signing up we received an ASA 101 course book and DVD of instruction in the mail featuring the owner, Mike Rice, to review before our class. It helped to ensure that we weren’t completely ignorant of basic sail terminology.  The day of our first on the water class was great.  Lisa really enjoyed being at the helm and seemed to have a natural affinity for finding the wind.  Our instructor Sandy was very laid back and was always happy to be out on the water teaching new students how to sail for the first time.  If you have never been on a sailboat before, ASA 101 covers most of what you need so you don't destroy your boat or someone else's while you’re out on the water.  We went over everything from basic knots, using an outboard motor, and docking to raising and reefing the sails.  The course spanned five days of on the water instruction followed by the ASA 101 written examination.  We were in the class with 2 other students on a Martin 242.  It was nice to be in a small class with fellow students that were all trying to learn something new.