Launch

It was early spring 2005 – late April or early May and it was pouring rain. They were down at the club stepping the mast because the boat was scheduled to be launched the next day. I was at home. The phone rings. It’s him. “Hi. I forgot the windex. I need it to put up the mast. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, of course I know where the windex is. Duh. Do you want paper towel too?”

“No paper towel; Sara I mean the windex for the mast. Do you know what I mean? Do you know where it is in the basement in the workshop on the shelf?”

“Yes, of course I know where it is. I’ll be there in 5.” I get there and hand him a brand name spray bottle of blue ammonia. He stares at me in disbelief while our fore deck guy doubles over laughing.

“This is not what I meant. I wanted the wind indicator that goes at the top of the mast”.

“Oh” I said, “why didn’t you say so”?

He just shook his head and laughed. “This is going to be a steep learning curve girl”.

He wasn’t kidding. That October I took 2 trophies home at the awards dinner. I was presented the Farquherson Vase for Most Improved Female Sailor at the club. 30 boats race regularly – they crash, run aground and drop boats from the crane – but the story told about that day in the parking lot and a bottle of blue ammonia garnered the most applause and the most laughs from the crowd and thus beat all of the other stories. So I also won the “Hooter Award”.

I laughed as hard as anyone. I’d deserved both of them. I was proud of how far I’d come. And I was excited for more. Lots more.