I win ........something

It is a marvelous afternoon and so we decide to take the MacGregor out for a spin. Maybe even finally make it out to the bay.

"But not if I have something to do with it." my sinister evil twin laughs quietly. For this day, my friend, I am working in slo-mo.

As most of you who know me will attest, I like to do things fast. Except fast is not something that seems to be working on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

We're smoothly backing out of the dock and I begin to raise the mainsail. But I get it all tangled up. I untangle it. We're now in the center of the estuary. I raise it again. Tangled again. How the heck does this happen? Okay I take it down, bring it back up. Hey, am I doing this right? I have done this before ya know. I have, really. Although anyone watching me could not tell in the slightest.

And now how does this rope go? I mean line. Oh yeah. Now we're next to the Coast Guard boats. Thank goodness for that p.o.s. motor we have. It's thauka, thauka, thauka, thauka sound pounding away at the back of the boat. She's not pretty but she's reliable. Well not that either.....but she's ......well she's all we got... so there.

I raise the main sail (finally) and pull and pull and pull at the rope to bring it all the way to the top. Just won't budge. Oh.....the rope is kinked. Darn it. Back down the sail. Rewind the rope and untwist. Now we're at Jack London Square. Well maybe that p.o.s. is a good ole girl after all. Cuz the sail raiser ain't worth a .....

Okay, back up again. Okay I got it. Do I? How come the clew side of the main sail is loose? Oh...the main stay isn't attached. I attach the mainstay. Now we're passing the last restaurant. Kayakers are zooming past. Gliding effortlessly towards the windy waters of the big ole bay. Although today there's not much wind. Thauka, thauka, thauka, thauka.

Okay now time for the jib. We pass the first big cargo ship. Its big engines spewing diesel fumes, hoping no one will notice. I hurry to get the jib up so we can speedily get past the diesel, but the wind is not with us today. We inhale the fumes as if our lives depend on it.

I raise the sail only to find out that the rope is on the wrong side. Back down she goes. Okay back up. Last cargo ship (not spewing anything...at least that I can physically see). Then the bottom carabiner is missing. Where the heck is that? I go to the toolbox and find an old rusty one. Where the heck is that brand new one? Oh yeah, there it is....in the head, next to the toilet paper. Hmmm, that's weird. Thauka, thauka, thauka, thauka.

Rushing to the bow of the boat I "rush" to put on the carabiner and raise the jib. Finally the sweet feel of "success" only 4 gallons of gasoline later. Thauka, thauka, thauka, thauka.

We make it out to the bay.....yeah!!!! Hey where's the wind?

Remember to stay upright. :)