Sailing

So I have been on a few boats. Oh yeah, quite a few actually. You know, there is the camp canoe. That's fun--tootling around a muddy lake splashing water on your friends. Then there is the deep sea fishing boat--that can be fun too--When I wasn't feeling ill down in the belly of that creaky, steel beast, "praying to the porcelain god." My dad took my lil brother Rob and I with him on a business outing. I was in 4th or 5th grade. I spent a good part of the morning sea sick down below, and the whole time I was praying to Heavenly Father to make it all go away. Finally there was some calm on the water and so a emerged from the depths of the boat, shielding my eyes from the light of day, swaying to and fro as I made my way to my father. He asked how I felt, "a little better." I said weakly.
"Well your brother has been up here the whole time dropping his line. He is sick, but he just leans over the boat, does his business and gets right back to fishing." My dad was telling me this with a little pride in his voice. I guess they liked that it attracted fish.
"Oh, good for him." I don't remember if I thought it or I actually said it. One thing I did know, I didn't want to fish much. That is when my dad's boss came to me and said patting me on the back "Hey, where have you been? Down there praying to the porcelain god?" He said it with a big laugh. Ha, ha, ha!
I was like Yes! How did you know? But I really just stared at him and thought, What is so funny!
So yes, I have been fishing, canoing, kayaking, but never sailing.

So this is the first of my water adventures this summer. . .

Sailing. . .

We were invited by our friends the Kirtley's on a day sail out of Long Beach. Great weather, calm seas and excellent company made the excursion heavenly. We left our kiddies at home and made an escape to the sea. Lisa and Ken are great fun. You can't help but have a smile on your face when they are around. Lisa is a great story teller and has me laughing easily. She is a devoted mother, crafter, creater, photographer, and a bishops wife to boot. She gives so much to our ward and sacrifices so much of her time to benefit the ward. We love her. Ken, is obviously our bishop and is one of the best men that I know. He devotes so much of his time to reaching out to the ward. I'll never forget how he knew our names the first week that we were there. At the time the ward was gigantic and in need of being split. That didn't matter, he always made an effort to get to know everyone and to reach out to them. I had the opportunity of working with him in ward counsel and found him to lead by example and in a positive loving way. Because of this our ward is blessed greatly. To top off these qualities, he has a quick wit and is extremely engaging. Both Lisa and Ken make you feel at home. We sat, talked about politics and laughed as the afternoon melted away. Here is Richard looking like a Macy's model. He looks like he belongs on a boat. doesn't he?

Finally, after we had eaten all the guacamole and chips, Ken suggested that we make our way to the front of the boat and feel the wind and sea. Richard and I made our way up, walking carefully so as not to fall in, (however that would have made for a more interesting blog post wouldn't have, but I didn't want to be sacrificed to the fishes for a good story)

I know that the boat wasn't moving that fast but the energy of the wind and the water was exhilarating, and view of the horizon was serene. I sat at the edge and dangled my feet in the water. The water was surprisingly warm. Here I am sitting up in the front and looking up at the sails. Richard again looking like he is in a catalog. We were hoping that we might see some sea life, but to no avail but for one pelican and a sea lion.

However we did have some good conversations about Hershey syrup pipelines and learned a few facts about Ca trivia, state fish? Garibaldi, state flower? poppy, state bird? golden quail. . .When you are married to a fourth grade teacher you learn a lot of facts. . .

After a few hours, Capt. Ken felt the need to head back to the harbor. We sadly agreed because we are nothing but swabbies. so we turn the boat around and head back. The way back seemed a lot faster than on the way out. I am not sure if that was because of the wind or that I just didn't want it to end. On the way we saw a number of boats preparing themselves for a race. It was a magnificent sight. Beautiful sails
adorned the water. The boats moved together,
tacking, I believe it is called, back an forth, almost like a dance. It was a remarkable sight

Then the race began. We kept up with them all and I believe we even won. Of course Ken could have told me that and I would have believed him. What do I know I am just a swabbie, a guest swabbie at that. Just after the race.

After all the boats were out of the way, Ken handed the wheel over to me an I got to take the boat for a ride. Boy did I. I kept over steering and so we were meandering
all over the seas. People would have thought that I was dodging bullets or something. The winds grab a hold of the sail and so you need to correct the boat by slightly turning the wheel against the force. It took awhile but I figured it out with Ken and Lisa's coaching.
Pretty amazing day for Richard and I. Thanks so much Ken and Lisa for the ride. Anytime you need a sailing companion, count us in.