Our 9th trip on the Javelin was FANTASTIC!!!!! We got out earlier on Saturday morning. We were on the water on Mountain Island Lake by 9:30. The winds were out of the north. There were (2) radically different predictions. One said 3 mph in the morning to 5-6 in the afternoon. The other said 11 mph in the morning trailing to 3 mph in the afternoon. Weather channel won. Winds were 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 13 mph, with gusts to 18 mph. What a ride!!!
We were up on the gunnels all morning. I am getting the technique of tacking and jibbing down, but I need more work. I have found it easier to cleat the mainsheet just before the tack and make the maneuver without the mainsheet in my hand. I have not been able to pass the tiller extender and the mainsheet behind my back, as the Start Sailing Right book says. We also seemed to have no trouble with the boat waves, and most boats gave us a wide birth.
Our guest for the day was Adam. After sailing up to the Neck Road Access power lines, we returned to the bay north of the lower ramp around 11:00
He and Grace went swimming while I caught up on my phone calls and ate lunch. I noticed that the bridge on the Charlotte side of the lake appeared a little higher than the other side. We decided to try to get under the bridge. We sailed within 100 yards and dropped the sails. We paddled slowly between the rocks at the shore and the first pylons. The boat cleared about 6 inches. We sailed under sharply diminishing winds along the Charlotte side because there were (3) sets of power lines that appeared to be higher on that side. We made it under all sets, though the middle set looked a little close.
We sailed to Mountain Island. The last 3 hundred yards were aided by paddle. We noticed a NO TRESSPASSING SIGN. A family already on shore read the sign to us saying that we were not to be there after dark. 
We landed on the North end of the island and followed a trail to the opposite side. There were many families landed and day camping on the island. There was an excellent view of the dam. We were looking for the American chestnut tree that I had been told about when I was at State. We hike all the way around the island making side trips to the center to try to find the tree. We met a man that said he had been visiting the island for 30 years and had never seen a chestnut tree. He told us about a chimney from a house used to house men that built the dam in 1924. We saw the rock chimney but there was no evidence left of the house.
We continued back to the boat. We had not seen the north tip of the island, so we headed north. About a hundred feet from the boat, I discovered a chestnut tree. It was about 15 feet tall. I was quite healthy.
We searched the area and found no other trees or chestnut logs or stumps. We brought back some leaves and a sprig off the tree to root. I may some day return to try to find the original tree stump. We did see a blue heron on its nest in the top of a tall pine tree near by.
The return trip to the dock took 1 ½ hours. There was almost no wind. The weather data, attached, showed 1 mph wind from 3 pm on. Adam and Grace paddled all the way back, a 1.4 mile trip. I was great to be able to sit back and steer and let the galley slaves do the work. We had a big hassle trying to get the boat out of the water. The landing was so crowded. The total trip was about 10 miles, our longest to date.
On the way home we were suddenly pushed into the next lane by a car that did not see us changing lanes. He was close enough to the truck to reach out and touch him when I shouted and changed lanes. I am grateful that there was no vehicle in the left lane. I had no time to look, only react.