Hi, Adam. Careful with that. While not a child, you have a child-like joie de vivre, so I'm not sure we can leave you unattended with this small beast. I have a bicycle pump that I use for it. Inflates in no time. I used to have a rechargeable coleman pump but it stopped working.
Ok, here's my story. Sailed down to Half Moon Bay without you because that was a good weekend for me. Actually I waited until Monday because that was a good day for me. Set up my windvane and it worked like a charm all the way from the Cliff House until Colorado Reef. Then the perfect wind stopped, as it does there during every HMB race. I was reading a book, and not paying attention. After wallowing around I remembered that I wasn't in a race. I could turn on the engine! So I did. motored into the bay and then into the wonderful Half Moon Bay 'outer harbor', dropped anchor, texted Dave Morris.
"Hey, Dave! I'm here on Dura Mater! Whatcha doing?" We agreed to connect the next day, Tuesday. That left me with the rest of the lovely evening at anchor. So I wallowed some more, lay around like a sloth (my son is living in the UK this year and suggests that his colleagues over there pronounce it "Slowth"), ate my leftover dinner from a coupla nights ago - half a dragon roll and a cuppa ginger tea. The sun went down, I read the rest of the book and soon enough slept the sleep of the sloth. I love being at anchor.
Next day up and Adam. I mean at 'em. Took my little Intek 200 up onto the bow of the boat, inflated it and dragged out the ladder that I found on Danny's table. It's a beautiful ladder with hooks to hang on DM's gunnels. That's the word, right? The side of the boat. Put my second book into my backpack, climbed down into the Intek and rowed to the HMB dock. It's still there but it's not wooden anymore.
I haven't rowed in awhile and the little kids on the water taking sailing lessons had only sailed for one day, so we tried to avoid each other but weren't altogether successful. They were better at tacking than I was at rowing, let's just leave it at that.
Walked around town, ate lunch at Cafe Mezza Luna like I always do, walked over to the harbormaster's office and then moseyed on back to the Intek. Here's where it gets embarrassing, Adam, and I know this would never happen to you. The wind had come up and so I carried my little dinghy up the beach a bit to the little beach in front of the condos. Figured the wind would blow me to Dura Mater. Well, it did just fine. That little boat is sweet and brave. But once I got there I couldn't get up the ladder. When I tried so kneel to climb out the fat little inflatable pushed the ladder toward the hull and the hooks at the top came undone, the ladder almost fell into the water. It was attached to the boat with a rope but every time I leaned toward it in the boat the hooks came undone again. Dumb Jackie. Then I tried to climb it and the hooks bent. Even dumber.
I had already thrown one of the oars into DM's cockpit, but I had another one still. So I tried to row to the little dock with one oar. That does not work well, I may as well tell you now. The wind was up and I was being blown over to the Fishtrap Restaurant.
So I "yoo hoo! ed" to some women on the dock and they came out in a whaler and saved my life. Thank goodness. I might've drowned. I might've been late to dinner with Dave and Lori. Anyway, thank you to Rea and Madeline and Kat, who told me she sails out of Marina Bay in the RYC beer cans Wednesday nights.
I love my adventures. Even when they are embarrassing. By the way, there are regularly 36 or more boats on the water every Wednesday. You might want to come over, sail with us.
Anyway, that’s my dinghy story. It’s a great little boat as long as you use both oars and stay in sheltered water. And have a decent ladder on your boat. Where do you plan to go with yours?
