Today is "boat-out day," alas. Last evening I went to my boat dock, unsnapped the canvas, untied the mooring lines, and powered her (Roisin Dubh, the "Dark Rose") up. Then I cruised very slowly, about 3 MPH, through the Mentor Lagoons to take my boat to the Lagoons' storage building for lift out. Normally, I don't sail alone on my boat, and I always wear my life jacket (always! unlike almost everyone else on Lake Erie). Last evening I was alone on the boat and didn't wear my lifejacket; in fact, the lifejackets were locked in the cabin below. When I got to the point where I was supposed to make a left turn, down another lagoon to the storage building, I just kept on going--out to the big lake. When I got to the big lake, the water was like glass. It was calm and spectacularly beautiful--beautiful beyond words. I inched up my throttle and brought the boat old boat on plane. And there I was, going about 20-25 MPH on the calm lake, the sun moving low in the west over the Lake. I thought about taking a long ride--but decided just to make a big circle. I turned the boat to the left and made a beautiful arc.Then I completed the circle and headed back in. This was my one last chance on the Lake for this year. With the spectacular Indian Summer weather, it seemed like such a shame to pull her out of the water.
Back in the lagoons, I headed for the storage building dock. I never ever dock this boat by myself. I usually have all hands on deck to dock the boat. And even then I sometimes screw up! This time, I brought her in slowly to my starboard side. And then just before my bow would smash into the dock, I put the throttle into reverse and turned the wheel hard clockwise--a counterintuitive move that really works. My boat nudged up against the dock; I threw it into neutral, found my hook, and grabbed the dock and halted the boat. Then I tied her down to the cleats, put her canvas back on. And that was it. Done for the year. Like the last pitch of the baseball season, I was a little sad. We know what's coming around here!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Very sweet. Has me longing a bit for a more definitive changing of seasons here in California. There is something about those midwestern climate extremes that move me to a deeper contact with nature and I think therefore with myself.
Post a Comment