Sunday morning I had an early appointment to teach a few people to sail (Edward & Lori). I had been in contact with Edward earlier in the week and he had encouraged me to invite a few people to join us. I couldn't think of two better people to invite along than Katie and Lyndsie. They both have such great and fun personalities! So after getting the boats rigged up, we pushed out onto the lake with very light breezes which made it a bit difficult to teach them how to sail in. But I got the basics down with them and came back in and got Edward and Lori going on their own catamaran. Unfortunately Katie had to leave for work at the boat change and shortly after she did the the winds picked up and provided some great sailing. For the rest of the morning I taught Lyndsie how to sail while we chased down Edward and Lori (who I think really enjoyed themselves and hopefully have a new found love for sailing).
Later that evening the winds really started to pick up. So My good friends Kevin, Russell, Phil, and Caleb decided that we would go down and have our own little mini regatta. We raced out to the point of Tubbs Hill, and then from there just decided to go crazy since the wind was so good. We continued to race back and forth all hooting and hollering as we passed by each other. As the evening progressed the sunset filled the western skies with amazing hues of orange and red which shined down upon the clear waves turning it into a seemingly burning sea. All the mean while a slight sprinkle created a vibrant full rainbow that encompassed the entire eastern horizon. As the sun finally dropped below the skyline we all slowly headed for shore. As we started putting our boats away there was only smiles to be seen all around. I do think that for the five of us that were lucky enough to be out there that evening it will be a day we recall until the day we die
So even though I had an amazing weekend my luck continued into this week. Monday afternoon the wind had picked up again and Kevin and I decided to go back out for the afternoon and sail after being still ecstatic about the evenings sailing events before. After a quick jaunt and chat on one of the cats we decided that today was gonna be the day that we were gonna take the laser out for a spin. Since she had been sitting lifeless on the beach all year, we had a bit of a hard time finding all the rigging to get her going. But after a little digging around the shack we found the things we needed to get her back to sailing shape. And even though the laser is typically a one man sailing vessel, Kev and I decided that we would try our hand at two manning it. So we shoved her off shore and squeezed on board which wasn't quite roomy but definitely enough room for the two of us to work with me trimming the sail and Kev working the tiller. After a handful of tacks we were nearly halfway across the lake from the shack when we realized that the cockpit looked like it was getting a bit full of water. So we both bailed out as much as we could by hand and continued to sail about. A few minutes later we noticed that the rail of the boat was considerably closer to the water than when we started. It was clear that we were taking on water! So we made the quick decision to make a B-line for the shore. We limped our way to the shore slowly watching the deck of the laser get closer and closer to water level. As we approached a slew of pylons about a fifty yards out from shore, I heard Kevin say, "umm dude...I can't steer the boat anymore. The tiller isn't doing anything anymore..." We were just being pushed around by the waves and wind in our sail. After nearly missing a pylon, I did my best to manhandle the sail and guide us into the beach and not onto the rocks a handful of yards to the left. And as if it were the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean, Kev and I stepped off onto shore just as the deck of the laser crested under the water. Since it was totally full of water, I wouldn't have been surprised if it had weighed nearly 1000 lbs. Either way even with the two of us trying, we couldn't budge the thing. After sitting and laughing at what had just happened we rounded up enough line to hook up the laser and pull her up onto the beach with an old wench that has been there forever. After finally getting it above the water line we went down to find where it was leaking, and in about two quick seconds we had our answer... Being the fools that we are and in our rush to get out on the water we had forgotten to put the drain plug in. We both instantly burst into laughter! We let it sit and drain on the beach for a good thirty minutes, all the mean while shaking our heads and laughing. Once it was done draining we again headed back out for a few more hours of sailing and good times.
And so I have had the best few days of the year all in a row. I could have never dreamed how great this week would be but I am very thankful for what it has been already. As always I want to wish you all the best things in this world every single day. And just remember it's the little things in life that you sometimes forget that mean the most....like drain plugs! Have a great day everybody!
-Jesse
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| A bit under water... |
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| Now what? |
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| Too much fun |
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| Thank god for wenches! |
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| Umm yeaaaah...we're dumb |
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