All work and no play was making Judy a titch bad-tempered …… I wasn’t getting enough sleep and had started snapping at people. Mac would play tennis at the Sunny Caribbee early in the mornings while I baked, and had started bringing his buddies to the restaurant before the tables had been wiped or the floors swept. We opened at 8:00, not 7:00, and being ordered to serve coffee before the waitress had arrived was wearing thin! I had work to do, and one morning I shouted at Mac and his friends when they trooped into the dining room in search of coffee.
It was decided that I needed a day off, and my friend Spike organized a “Girls against Boys” sailing race. I had to get the baking done first of course, there was no such thing as a REAL day off. This entailed getting up a little earlier, but I was ready by 8:30 with a bag of fresh cinnamon buns tucked under my arm. Let the fun begin!
The ladies were sailing on Slipaway, Spike and Billy’s boat. I was the only member of the crew lacking experience, the rest were seasoned sailors. I can’t tell you what kind of yacht Slipaway was but I CAN tell you she was fast! Spike was an amazing captain with sailing skills that had me in awe, she could pretty much tack that boat on a dime and she gave the men a run for their money.
I had served as “human ballast” many times at this point, it’s all I ever seemed to be good for on a boat, but being ballast on Slipaway took on a whole new flavor. Slipaway was fairly lightweight and had been fitted out with a hiking board to counteract the wind’s pressure. I had grave misgivings about the race when I realized what that board was for, but it would have seemed cowardly to jump overboard and swim ashore!
I learned that Slipaway could be easily turtled (capsized) by the wind unless the crew’s body weight was as far to windward (or upwind) as possible. This would decrease the extent to which the boat would heel and it’s what that hiking board was for. The only other way to prevent the boat from capsizing would be to ease the sails and we were racing with a determination to win; Spike would sooner cut off her right hand than ease a sail. Oh Joy!!!
The hiking board on Slipaway was fitted perpendicular to the boat’s hull and stretched several feet over the water. It was designed to slide from side to side so that it could be moved to the windward side whenever the boat tacked. Every time Spike hollered “hike!” we had to throw our bodies on the board to keep the boat from heeling too far and veering off-course. The ladies on board did this with a grace and agility I was definitely lacking but I gave it my best shot. It was windy once we got out in the bay and the race was a challenge from start to finish.
We sailed around to Friendship and back that day, with the men in hot pursuit. They never stood a chance! With Spike at the helm of Slipaway screaming, “Hike! Hike!” we were triumphantly anchored and eating wet cinnamon buns by the time they caught up.
Well at least you didn’t throw up, losing your bathing suit or fall overboard! Sounds like you were finding your sea legs 😊
Never did find my sea legs, that particular day i was too scared to even think about getting sick!