I really enjoy boating, but I must admit that when the waves get to about 3 feet, I have a recurring fantasy of putting on my life jacket. So, the cruise from Chicago to Winthrop Harbor (we had revised our plan of docking in Racine as the infamous ‘part’ – the toilet valve – had been shipped to SkipperBud’s in Winthrop) was in grey skies, rain and choppy waters.
Right out of the break wall the windshield wiper slid too far and stuck on the side of the windshield. I scurried out to place it back on track, but as John had suspected, it continued to do it, so we turned it off. Upon returning to the cabin, I asked John to go over what I would do if he should fall overboard. So we went over the MOB button that marks where the Man went OverBoard, the throwing the boat into neutral, ….
For some reason, the ‘seas’ were causing us a bit of grief. John experimented with different speeds and hull heights to get the most speed with the least slamming against the waves. Halfway in to the journey, an 1’ x 8’ portion of the ceiling trim fell on John’s head. Over the next 10 minutes he said a couple of unusual things and I worried he may have a concussion. I was relieved that he snapped out of it quickly – I had probably just imagined it. But I asked him to review with me the radio operation and how to call for help should he get knocked out.
Then, the two mast mounted antennae for internet reception broke and fell to the deck.
Thankfully, being on a lake, I knew there would be no sharks or crocodiles to contend with. Safely in the Winthrop Harbor, IL, John made fun of the purple gyspy scarf I wear to keep my hair from whipping my eyes and the wind out of my ears (just like my mom when we used to sail to Catalina). He said I looked like a hotel maid, which surprised me as I was thinking it was so Jackie O!
We walked in cold wind to the ironically named “Tropics” restaurant in the harbor for dinner where John conversed with some lonely looking weathered yachtsmen at the bar about electrical hook ups etc.
Write a comment