Reminiscence of my former sailing exploits, a true story

Contrary to popular belief, I ever did sail on the real ocean on my own boat. No I didn't own one, it was rented. It was a topper with a 2-3 meter tall mast, at least I think it was that height, I don't know but it sure hurt when it swayed and accidentlly wonked me on the head... or was it the boom... did anyone get the number of that truck?

Picture of a topper boat (the one with the sail, not the little rubber thingy on the left)

However, NOT contrary to popular belief, I was a terrible sailor. All right not so terrible but I was the only one in class who didn't pass my final sailing exam. It wasn't my fault honestly! All right it was but... whine...

Why I wasn't allowed to pass, was because we had this thing called "Man overboard manuvuer" where we had to haul extra life jackets out of the boat to pretend that it was a "partner" who had fallen off the boat. You had to circle around to come get him. Unfortunately for the life vest and fortunately it wasn't a man, I kept running over mine. The most vivd memory of that experience was the bump noise it made when I realised that I had run over it, and it had been caught smack with my rudder.

Here vesty vesty vesty

Bump

*checks rudder cause I felt the drag*
oops...
*prays hard the examinor didn't see it*

Now another thing why I'm a terrible sailor. Scroll up to look at the picture of the topper boat, now think how tall it should be. Now imagine that little boat...sailing under the docks... Yep you read right, I managed to sail under the docks, with a mast that high. Only a genius (or an absolute idiot) should be capable of such things. Had to be nicely towed out, it was hilarious though. I was the only one who managed to do it.

Another point that I'm a terrible sailor, the currents blew me to the rocks, I had to figure out how to move my boat out to sea again. The instructor wasn't around, turns out she was helping another person who got stuck at the rocks. So hurrah I wasn't the only one. But it was a really fightentening and well, one of a time experience, you try moving the huge boat with a small rudder, which was out of the water, you try it, wasn't an easy feat, but oh joy I managed to get out into water...

Only to realise that my string for controlling the sails, was under the rudder... now it would not seem very difficult would it? Unfortunately, my ship was "on the run" which ment, my sail was thrown 90 degrees open, and catching the wind completely. While my boat was sailing along, rockily, I couldn't move my rudder cause the rope jammed it, so I couldn't turn the boat to resting mode.

In short, I was moving along unsteadily, with no way of controlling the boat.

I did the only thing I could think of at the moment, try and unhook the rope from the pully system. Which was kind of dangerous and scary thing to do since the pully was swinging back and forth in the wind, hence it could have given me something more than a headache or loose an eye if I wasn't careful. Well I somehow managed to do it and my boat came to a complete stop.

Oh joy so now I'm stuck in the middle of the sea, with my sail flapping in the wind, and my rope still jammed under the rudder. Somehow I managed to work the rope free, fix up the whole thing again and continue sailing like nothing ever happend.

On closer look, I should have just capsized my boat. It would have been easier to remove everything and fix it back. But nooo I had to be lazy cause I didn't want to turn the boat up again... plus I was scared.

So even though I had these experiences, I missed sailing... well to be out on the ocean to be exact. Though the mishaps were an adventure.

On another side, I lost my hat while sailing once, never wore another hat again after that... My hat... So if anyone finds a white hat with a black inside at sea, or black hat with a white inside, its probably mine, so please return it. Will trade chocolate chip cookies for it.

This is the real side of Captain Codfish signing off