First time sailing

12-3-15 sailed out with Pat on Ballena. We left La Paz just after 10am. She's 41' but seems much bigger than Patti's 39' Kiwi 3. Ballena is much wider for sure. We were fighting the wind and tide getting out of the slip and at one point I thought for sure we were going to hit our bow spirit on the piling. But we made it out. I took the helm and motored us out of the channel. Pat's 68 year old eyes are not all that good and he has a hard time seeing the red and green buoys ahead. Under power this was easy for me. Out of the channel we put up the jib and expected to give up the helm, but he kept me on. He showed me how to watch the wind vain and keep us sailing on the edge of the wind. We were sailing straight into the wind so we had to do lots of tacking. Sailing back and forth in order to go forward. Not the funnest way to sail. We were hitting 3-5' swells. Ballena (pronounced Bye-yeah-na) does not sail into the wind in 3-5 foot seas very well. Her bow would come up, the wind would take her and we'd move off course and slide backwards. At one point for a very long time, I was watching the shore and with our speed of 1.9 knots we were making zero ground. We had our eye on a little island, thinking we are just about to pass this little island, but an hour later we were what seemed to be in the same place. It was about this time that I gave up the helm to go and get my gopro. Bad idea, not being at the helm and being knocked around by the wind and waves I started to feel sick. After this I could not shake it.. I tried to lie down in the back of the cockpit but it seemed like I had to rally and jump up to help Pat move the jib from one side to the other as the wind kept switching on us, and never got the chance to let my stomach settle. We finally decided to pull the sails and motor in. While I was lying down, calming my stomach and falling asleep I dreamt of what I could be doing next winter instead of sailing with Patti. Maybe i'd go back to AU and hang out with Christian, or fix up the Grouse/Shouse and my bus in PA. Wondered if Patti's boat was taking the waves better than Pats boat, is it going to be like this the whole time? I gave it my best, maybe I am not a sailer and a land-lubber instead. It was about this time that we made it through the channel and over to our island destination. When we were about 45 minutes away from our anchorage I looked back at the handline (fishing line) that I had in the water and it came up to the surface, was this because we were now doing 6 knots or was there a fish on. I decided it looked more like a small fish and this was confirmed when it started being circled by a few birds. I grabbed my Cuban Yo-Yo ( that is what they call the plastic circular thingy that you wind the hand line onto) and reeled it in. I did not want to get blood on Pats teak decks so I tried to slip a finger into its gill plate while leaning over the side. Its teeth were sharp so I had Pat help me slip on a glove. I was able to hold onto it but had nothing to knock it out with so I grabbed my travel coffee mug and gave it a good wack. Unhooked it and Pat was there with a plastic bag. I thought I had caught a barracuda. I filleted it up and after we were anchored we all met up with John and Bones on Orca. (John and Bones are two people and Orca is John’s boat) I had the fish with me. John and Bones were pretty impressed, but there were two other guys there. Doomsday Bob and Brandt. Both of which told me it was not a barracuda, but some shitty fish, you cant eat that that is the worst fish you could catch, they kept saying stuff like this. I dont know my fish down here, but I knew it was not a skip jack like they said it was. Bones asked to see a photo which I showed, and then once the Negative Nacies saw the photo they said it was a Sierra, one of the best eating fish out here. I fried it up with some garlic and butter and it was delicious and everyone oohed and ahhed. I think maybe people dont like me when they first meet me? Or everyone is jealous because I am partnered up with the only gal under 50 around? it is definitely in a mans world, this sailing community.