Fair Warnings

Saturday was a beautiful, warm early autumn day on old Cape Cod, with blue skies and a good strong wind as we waited around to start power washing my friend's house in Truro, where Cher just happened to be sitting in the garage, and a boat launching ramp into Cape Cod Bay just happened to be down the road about a 1/4 mile (if that). Erica stayed home with the napping twins, Rosemary and Gretchen went off in search of lunch, and I of course headed down to the water with my $10 in hand to pay the harbormaster. "What's that you got there? A kayak?" I paused, wondering how I should answer, as a kayak only costs $5 to launch.

I figured no sense irritating the old guy who would undoubtedly notice that my kayak had a sail, so I fessed up that it was in fact a sunfish. "A sunfish!! You wouldn't catch me out there on a sunfish today. No sirree. Them's winds are 30 miles per hour out there." Hmm I thought, I can handle it! After all, I am a 3-time winner of the Barnegat Light Regatta. "You sure you can handle it?" Yes. "You gonna unload that boat all by yourself?" Yes. OK now I am tiring of all the questioning but I offer "I won't be out long - I have other stuff to do today, I'll be back soon". Now the other old salt in the corner who hasn't said anything so far adds the stern warning: "IF you come back!"

I went out, had a lovely sail, and did come back to tell the tale.