10.07.2008

Another Sailing Adventure




Last Saturday, Tim and I decided to take the sailboat over to metro beach and sail Lake St. Clair again. If you remember, the 1st time we sailed there, there was so much wind we were kinda scared. This time was the exact opposite...there was hardly any wind. It made for a bit of a boring ride, but we still felt adventurous.
This was our 1st ride on the boat in cold weather. I wore long underwear, jeans, a t-shirt, a northface fleece, a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and a hat. Good thing...because when we got to the boat, there was ice on it!
Tim steered us out of the canal into the lake. We were able to sail for awhile at first, but the wind died out soon after. We turned on the radio and listened to the Michigan State game and ate large amounts of cashews, pretzels, and hummus. I took over at the helm for awhile, too. At one point, i took my blanket up on the bow and laid down. SO relaxing!
When it was time for us to head back in, Tim went to start the engine...it started right up and then stalled. Oh boy. It stalled in gear and was stuck in gear. The auto start button was not responding AT ALL. Not good (but no sailing trip is complete without a touch of potential disaster). Our last resort was to try starting the engine with the pull-cord. Tim yanked the cord and the handle fell off in his hand. This obviously resulted in some choice words...and I was wishing I would have worn the orange t-shirt instead of the gray...because in about 5 minutes I was picturing having to stand up on the bow to signal for help...and having an orange shirt to swing around would really make me more visible.
Somehow we got the darn thing started and motored back to the canal. We took a little tour around the marina. All the boats at the marina were decorated for Halloween and kids were trick-or-treating. We will have to remember that for next year!
ALSO! For the second time, I, BECCA, drove the boat up to the dock FLAWLESSLY! Did I mention that the 1st time I brought the boat into the dock, that a perfect stranger stopped me and said, "Wow, you looked like a professional bringing that boat in." I am NOT making that up either.
My goal was to be able to man the boat all by myself by the end of the summer. I'll say that I am pretty darn close. Tim tested me on all the main points, and he gave me a pretty high grade. We are hoping to take the boat out this weekend, and sadly, it may be the last time this season. I'll write another blog on how I feel about that.

2 comments:

Elle Bee said...

Where does one get adult sized long underwear? And did it have the butt flaps in the back?

Becca said...

ha!
i guess it's not good old fashioned long underwear...but you can get like the tight thermal stretch pants/ shirts anywhere this time of year.
the stuff i have is like a soft cotton poly blend...i think it's by champion. another good brand is cuddle duds.
dont ask me why i have so much knowledge on this.