Elise Cruise Day IV - heading toward Clipper Cove

There are sacred moments in life. This was one of them.
We anchored for the night - we were carrying a really light racing anchor so the only conditions it would work in would be very little to no wind. These conditions were met that night and it's fun to try out Elise under every possible sailing situation. Anchoring is definitely part of it, even during races! The wind was moribund but not completely dead when we got into the cove, so we could anchor under sail. We will have to use the engine in the morning to leave the anchorage.
After a day of cleaning up, we didn't have the strength to replace the masthead fly, so we decided to fly the spinnaker without it. Actually, during this "cruise", I floated the kite several times (flying it without the pole), did a lot of light air upwind driving and downing trimming/driving to trim - so I got a very very nice feel for the sails. Feeling them react and sense every move at the tip of your fingers is quite magical. Whenever I was in charge of a sail, the outside world would disappear. I would concentrate on the slightest detail on the sail and make sure that it'd be kept happy and full.

Sailing without a masthead fly teaches you to use the gentle touch of the wind on your face to find out about its direction and guess its speed.
Floating the kite really helps you during gibes as for a short moment, the chute will be flying loose. I felt such a strong communion with the sails and as an extension with the wind.

At sea, your life revolves around very basic things - driving and trimming, a little bit of navigation, satisfying the most basic biological needs such as eating, going to the bathroom and sleeping. A little bit of cleaning up here and there and that's pretty much it. It is so simple that it is extraordinarily relaxing.

Elise finally free again after a night at anchor at Clipper Cove. The anchor is left on deck to dry as there is little to no wind early morning as we are heading out for a breakfast at Sam's in Tiburon.
Nathan is getting ready for bed.
Nat is preparing the "bedroom". Since we were not at sea when night closed in, we used the V-berth at the bow. During the Pac Cup, we will be using the quarter berth to port which is the one that won't be acting as our sail storage room.
A nice celebratory dinner on Elise. We had other dinners and lunches on board, primarily underway. This one was at anchor. Little frog is enjoying our little Cotes-du-Rhone red.
We have a nice table, nice food, comfy settees with our cruising cushions and wine. What more could we ask for? Heating? Nay...