Where's The Winch?
by Steve West on June 27, 2011

We took the girls sailing today. Unlike last year, Olivia did not throw a winch handle overboard because of our diligence in preventing it. The sailing is still free because of the heart of the owner who offers this once a month during the summer. There is still a fee to enter the state park which has increased from 5 bucks per car to 5 bucks per person. The four of us got in for 15 bucks so that started a debate as to which one of us was not considered a person. I lost.

As I implied, the first thing Brenda and I did after boarding was locate all loose equipment and keep Olivia far from it. Funnily enough, Olivia did not have to throw anything overboard as it happened without her participation. About a hundred yards into our trip, I noticed the skipper at the tiller struggling with the outboard (you have to use the engine to move away from the pier before you actually sail with the wind). I scooted down to that end of the boat to see if I could lend a novice hand. He very calmly asked me to hold the tiller straight while he hoisted the engine back onto the boat. He was holding onto it to prevent it from sinking into the Chesapeake as it had come free of its lashing. So I'm steering the boat as he's struggling next to me to bolt it back into place. There's only one other official crew member but he was busy hoisting sails and other piratey stuff. So I'm humming the tune to "Popeye, the Sailor Man" like the crazy guy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest while the skipper continued to struggle with the engine. He got one of the bolts in place (there are two) and decided that that was sufficient for seaworthiness. Whatever you say, Cap'n.

The rest of the trip was mercifully uneventful in a good way. Warm temperature, cool breeze, picturesque view, and the engine stayed bolted throughout the rest of the trip. Olivia and Lauren adored it and I amused myself by pointing at the water routinely and telling Lauren what wonders I was observing (Nemo, squids, Spongebob, Aquaman, etc.). The captain apologized for the drama, but it made for an interesting part of the journey and none of us had to swim back. I did have to promise Lauren a boat for Christmas. She'll forget by then. I think.

Two Replies to Where's The Winch?

Scott Hardie | June 27, 2011
Has it been a year? Time does fly by.

It sounds like a good day out. Was this the same boat and same captain as last year?

Steve West | June 27, 2011
Different for both. They have a small fleet and the captains and mates seem to be volunteers who rotate. Oh, and the last sailing trip was at the end of the boating season in October, 2010.

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