Neis Kah 1
July 1999 on our first cruise we hosted a family reunion of "pirates".
Ten adults, three teens and one doggie all dressed as pirates. They even presented us with a flag bearing the skull and crossbones to hoist for the occasion. They were eager for a day of schooner sailing and adventure on Georgian Bay.
The Captain ordered the four working sails hoisted in order to put the "Goose " through her paces.
The winds were just great for Neis kah at 15-20 knots. The occasional spray from the bow wave livened up the scene on the foredeck.
The sailing was so great that no one wanted to stop so we provided lunch, snacks and lots of non alcoholic fluids enroute. We headed down Penetang Harbour, through the Gap at Asylum Point, into Penetang 's outer harbour and then into Midland Bay. Our "Pirates" assisted in hoisting sails and tacking but were happy to sit back and let us do most of the work of putting the "Goose" through her sailing skills. The guests made themselves at home and alternated between experiencing the thrills of schooner sailing, (wind and spray), to adjourning below for some catch up visiting with each other.
We returned one happy but tired shipload of "pirates" and one little doggie safely back to Penetang town dock.
During our first year in operation we took the staff of a local bank out for a team building exercise on Georgian Bay. We picked them up and sailed out Penetang Bay, through the Gap, tacking back and forth into the outer Harbour towards M12, an important navigational buoy in the Midland-Penetang area. By the end of these exercises the staff felt quite comfortable working as a team when managing the sails. All was going well!
Our second cruise was a busload of funloving geriatrics plus one thirteen year old boy, (someone's grandson), from Ohio. A few could barely walk and needed special attention prior to leaving the dock. None of our geriatric trainees had ever sailed before let alone experienced sailing a tall ship-a classic schooner! They all seemed very enthusiastic and anxious to get under way. One could feel their excitement as their eyes seemed to "dance". I think the Good Lord smiled down upon us as we had perfect conditions for our load of new sailors. We had very light winds which enabled us to hoist a few sails and motor sail them around Georgian Bay. I pointed out some special landmarks, as our guests busily captured memories on film. We had the opportunity to teach sail training to out youngest passenger, (the thirteen year old), who seemed to "swallow up" the whole sailing thing. The Captain and I explained sailing physics, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics as applied to schooner sailing.
All in All, it was a great experience for a great bunch of folks!
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