Sailing

I have no picture for this, though I'm sure Mimi did.

Sunday, while JL was asleep (more "pregnancy card" plays), I opted to take my son on his first sail. Years ago, my parents had bought a used Sunfish and have kept it at their cottage for all to use, though I think I'm the sole taker in this realm. It has been great fun over the years, and very reminiscent of my teen angst years where I'd spend many hours a day out on West Bay in an Laser all by myself.

JL took her sole ride with me in our first year of dating, and vows to never again ride with me after my initial "training". My first teacher had done this with me, and I've opted to inflict it upon each new green sailor on my vessel as well... first things first: capsize and turtle the boat. This is the worst possible outcome of any sailing event, so, if you can correct your way out of this, anything else should be "smooth sailing", right?

Well, during the capsize with JL, she somehow "claims" that I kicked her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her... really, she has to learn that as captain, I'm always in the right (probably another quiet reason why she'll never attend one of my sailing experiences again... she's not the one in control).

Being Joey's first sail in light wind (Jenny had 20+ mph winds for her first sail, while Joey was blessed with 4mph to none), I didn't want to capsize the boat, but I did want him to feel comfortable.

On the first tack, he says to me "Daddy, is it ok if I jump in the water?" Mind you, we're out past the drop-off at this point and in 100+ feet of water.

"Sure, if you really want to."

Not believing that he'd actually do it, I answered his question in my typical whimsical lax-parenting style.

Splosh!

Over he went. Immediately I realized that the 4mph winds that were filling our sail were actually moving us along at a pretty good rate... at least a walking speed.

"Daddy, slow down!" Joey tells me as he laughs and giggles his swimming body towards the port side of the sunfish. He had been enjoying the afternoon in his USCG approved PFD (personal flotation device) since we had taken a ride on a far less elegant and much more noisier watercraft an hour earlier: a jet ski.

Coming back aboard, we continued our lesson in sailing as we talked about tacking, wind direction, windward, leeward, "prepare to come about", "hard to lee", and other sailor critical terms. Taking the tiller in hand, we worked on navigation using site points on shore and gauging wind direction based on wave motion and the lull in the sail when you are running too tight towards it.

After a while, he opted to lay on the mid ship deck just forward of the cockpit as I used to so often as a child too.

"Daddy, I really don't want to grow up and have to go to work and all that. I really just want to stay little and be a kid and have fun all the time."

"Well, Joey, I think your mother would tell you that Daddy has never really grown up either."

"Really?"

"Yeah, think about it. I have tons of toys: cameras, radios, drums, computers... and I love to play all the time and never like acting serious. I'm still not convinced I've found a career yet and am waiting to grow up and get a real job too."

"But, you're Daddy and you have to work."

"True, but deep down, I'm just a kid that is still busy playing all the time and only doing the things I really like to do."

"Do you have to eat big person food and like it though?"

"Well, I really only eat the things I like (ask Mimi), and in time, I suspect your likings will change too."

"But, you're so big, I don't want to have to get big, I want to stay small."

"Hmm... I really can't argue with that logic. I don't feel big, though."

At this point, he opted to slip off the leeward side of the boat and grab the halyard as he went to have it drag him behind the boat....

Man, I wish I could still do that.

jp