Friday Photos - Come Sail Away

Warning: This is more like a picture book than a picture blog. 

I'm just sayin'...

I kind of like the idea of sailing away. It sounds romantic, idyllic, and breezy. With extra e's like this... Breeeeezy.

The other day I went sailing with a batch of boys. I wasn't going to go at first. I thought my plan to stay at home and wallow in a puddle of self-pity while trying to watch my iPhone come back to life was perfectly acceptable. But I was gently persuaded otherwise. So I headed to the lake with the boys.

You should know that one of the best parts about being me is my people. And by people I mean my across the street neighbor who has a racing sailboat that is gracious enough to host a bunch of Boy Scouts for an afternoon.

And if you've ever hosted a bunch of Boy Scouts for an afternoon you know just how gracious this is.

I took my camera to the lake. After the iPhone plunge you have to understand what a gamble this was.
Because the only thing worse than seeing my iPhone at the bottom of a toilet would be seeing my camera at the bottom of a lake. So I kept a death grip on it the entire time. The good news is that death grips make for some nice, clear, well-focused pictures.

And today I'm going to share.

Let me introduce you to our fearless crew of boys and men. Well, actually a fearless crew of just boys. In big and not-quite-as-big bodies. The Boys.

This is Captain Cook, across the street neighbor and sailor extraordinaire. 

He wears this boyish grin just especially for his sailboat.

This is The Man, leader of the not-quite-as-big-boys, organizer of sailing adventure.

And gentle persuader of self-pity wallower.

This is Ty Man, other leader of the not-quite-as-big-boys. They think he's cool. 

He thinks he's cool, too. 

; )

This is Boy James, poser for dramatic photos. 

And evidence that not-quite-as-big-boys is sometimes a loose term.

This is Boy Chaz, with the most excellent hair. 

He's quiet and unassuming. But works hard. 

It's a nice combo. Especially with the hair.

This the The Little Man.

 Trying to take a page (or two!) from Ty Man's Book of Cool.

And this is Boy Hunter, who thought that when we said "sailing", we meant "parasailing". 

Which might explain the pensive look.

This is how the day went.

First it was warm and sunny. Like this...

Then it was cold and rainy. Like this...

The boys took turns warming up in the cabin. And eating chips.

My camera and I stayed warm in the cabin. Taking pictures. And eating chips. 

Then it was still and calm. Like this...

The Boys raised the spinnaker sail. I like how that sounds. Spinnaker sail. Spinnnn-na-ker. Sail. 

The spinnaker sail has a name. 

Bob. 

And we listened to Bob Marley when the spinnaker was up. 

Everything is better with Bob Marley. And Bob. 

Bob looks like this...

The Boys told stories...

And posed for some relaxed shots...

We danced. We sang. It was beautiful.

Then a big wind came up. And the spinnaker sail came down. The Boys had to work hard! 

I'm not gonna lie, my favorite part of this was Captain Cook yelling out, "C'MON GIRLS!!! LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GO!!!", as they tried to work this out in the gustiness. 

And with that encouragement they were able to accomplish in 4.5 minutes what it takes his race team 30 seconds to do. It was magical!

We raced some friends.

And won. Of course.

I took pictures of some birds... 

They are pelicans. 

And learned that I find the intricacies of a sailboat to be very fascinating. 

Especially All. Those. Ropes!

By now it was super calm and getting late. So we sailed back to the docks...

The Boys put away the sails...

And I took pics. 

Of this...

and this...

and this...

Look closer...

Yes, this is a flotation device. Attached to a boat. It warns, "Not Intended To Be Fastened To A Boat". 

And, "Do Not Dry Clean". 

Really? It reminds me of my curling iron that warns, "Do Not Use While Sleeping". 

One last parting shot of the crew. The Boys.

And we drove away into the sunset.

The Boys learned that sailing is hard work. And probably really not that romantic or idyllic unless you hire a crew to do the work for you. Like in the movies.

I learned that sailing really is that breeeeezy. Like in the movies. 

And The Man was right. If you get the chance to sail, wallowing can wait.

Thank you, Captain Cook, for a terrific time! We'll sail away with you any day. : )

Happy Weekend!