June 24th, 2009

No oars in these boats, unfortunately. So you can’t really row. These boats are Hobie Cats, catamaran-type boats that you can sail down at the ELC. Today I spent the afternoon down at the ELC, helping kids of members with sailing. After Will turned the kids loose on a smaller sailboat of their own, he called me and said that we would go too. I shrugged on my lifejacket and hopped into the boat. We were in the bigger boat; out there mainly to help the kids who were constantly flipping their boat into the water (sometimes intentionally but most of the time not). One time they capsized and Will yelled “Jibe! Jibe!” (sailor talk for turning intot the wind) but I didn’t do it fast enough and we ended up in irons (more sailor talk… means to be pointing so straight into the wind that the sail can’t catch the wind either way). We had to watch the kids’ boat float onto the bank and capsize. Then we had to float onto the bank and help them right it and get sailing again (a hassle, but really fun). When all was said and done and all of us were taking off our lifejackets on shore, I was really wishing  that I’d worn a bathingsuit instead of my work clothes because those Hobie Cats splash something awful.

Filed under: Shelley |