We are at the boat launch. My Dad is backing the boat into the water. I should be excited, but I feel my nerves creeping up on me again. What is going to happen this time? I am not cut out for this. I have the wrong instincts. I always turn right when I want the boat to go left.
It's a windy day. I shiver. A lot more wind than we anticipated, but that's a GOOD THING. You need wind to sail, right? I just hope I don't mess up again. I don't want to ruin my dad's boat. More important, I don't want to make my dad mad.
We are on the water now going fast. It's a thrill. Things are going great. The sun has come out. It really is a beautiful day. I start to relax a bit and look out on the water to see the sunlight reflecting off the waves.
Then a big gust of wind hits. The boat surges. The right half of the boat is completely under water. I panic and let go of the tiller, you know the thing that steers the boat. I jump to the right side, the boat levels. It's alright but I can't get a hold of the steering again. We're drifting and then we run into the bank hitting the rocks and tangling the sail in the trees. It's horrible, worse than I feared.
But at that moment I wasn't scared or worried at all. I knew exactly what to do. I jumped out of the boat, pushed it off the rocks and started swimming. After a "hot" minute, or should I say "cold" minute as the water was pretty cold, I heave my body back onto the boat. I am lighthearted and free. This is what it is all about. This is what it has always been about. The adventure. The story. The anticipation of the look on Mom's face when we tell her what happened.
Happy Birthday Dad!
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