After debating whether I should go out at all in the 3-5 mph winds (too little wind), I figured I'd
go local and launched from Riva Avenue in East Brunswick. I rigged up some hose adapters for the inflator so I can let it do its thing while I assemble the sail kit - and the total unpacking and assembly only took a half hour (alone).
The wind was blowing (when it was blowing) steadily down river, thus I decided that I'd tack upwind first to see if I should dare to go downstream for fear of having to walk back. It was rather slow but doable, so I sailed downstream. To make a long story short - narrow, winding river, intermittent wind and lilies do not mix with sailing. Tacking isn't pleasant in such an environment: first you tack left, and the boat drifts 20 feet before catching a gust of wind and moving across in seconds and regaining barely as much ground. Then you tack right, and you do the same except you wind up on top of lily pods, effectively grounded. Then you row, and have to jump back to sailing position, only to repeat the whole ordeal. It took me 2 hours to go half a mile, back to the truck.
To add insult to a tiresome experience, I once again parked on the wrong side of a low bridge. Having discovered this, I decided to move to a different spot on the same river - but I didn't want to break everything down, so I just threw the boat on the truck (on the cab and bed), tied it down somewhat and drove over. Then it hit me: why not do that every time?
