Captain Dave, Lieutenant Ross, and Midshipman “Krabby” Kyle put to sea Sunday on Blue Canoe, an Erickson 32. Had you thought to invent the perfect day for sailing, you could not have done better than this: an early-morning haze evaporating into cloudless sunshine; a breeze that was always fresh, never overpowering; and an ample supply of beer below decks. Once out on the ocean, we easily maintained speeds over six knots (it’s great to have electronic instruments!), although along the way we encountered Stars & Stripes (yes, the America’s Cup-class boat), which blew by us as if we were standing still.

Our course, to begin with, was south by west, but after a time we turned toward north. As we were about to put Point Loma between us and San Diego Bay, our midshipman’s inexperience unfortunately caught up with him — or, more precisely, his stomach caught up with him, not quite a match for the swell. So we headed back into the bay to spend a few hours in tranquil waters. There we sailed close by an anchored tall ship, Gloria, a training vessel in the Colombian Navy. (That is to say, we crossed her bow, raked her with our starboard broadside, then turned to pass close down on her starboard side to pick up any stragglers — at least, in our imagination.) We continued on downwind to the Coronado Bay Bridge, then tacked our way back to home port.

A great day! It did, however, prompt a question: When will Maris Stella Champion Linda, now a true sailor, come out to the West Coast for a cruise on a big boat in the open waters?