A shiny Saturday morning (May 11) found us munching breakfast treats on a big, luxurious motor yacht that was docked near Braesail and gabbing with other mariners. By mid-morning, AYC boat owners were launching, in a somewhat sheltered area of the marina, the little wooden model sailboats they’d assembled from kits, and a good number of people were standing on the dock cheering them on and watching most of them capsize. Two boats actually made it to the vicinity of the finish line!
Next came the “blind-folded dinghy races” (the dinghies aren’t blindfolded–the rowers are!). Pairs of boaters (some owners and some AYC staff members) raced dinghies across a stretch of open water from the dock to a finishing area, with one person rowing blind-folded and the other sitting in the stern and giving directions–the team finishing in the shortest time would be the winner.
Walt and I rowed our dinghy from Braesail to the starting area, and Walt rowed with his eyes closed, while I gave directions–he did very well. But when it was our turn to make a timed run and Walt was blindfolded, he somehow became quite disoriented, and no matter how I tried to provide directions (“Left!” “Starboard!” “Straight ahead!”) with verbal commands and by touching one arm or thigh or the other, we zig-zagged, circled, and bumped gently into boats and docks everywhere! We finally made it into the finishing area after a LONG time, and I’m sure we were the most hilariously entertaining duo of the day! We all had a lot of good fun participating and viewing!
The fancy salmon and roast beef dinner, held in a community center in downtown Friday Harbor in the evening, was very pleasant–the food was not spectacular, but the round-the-table company of other boat owners was excellent. I scanned the skies for more Northern Lights once I was back on Braesa (Walt had returned by ferry, taxi, and car to our Everett home because he was leading Sunday morning worship at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church located in a town just north of Everett), but they contained only stars, a sliver of moon, a winking seaplane, and a few clouds–no auroras. I slipped into bed thinking of the sky-full of wonders I’d beheld on the previous night, and giving God, THE finest of all artists, hearty thanks and praise!
Braesail - A grand yacht in the Salish Sea 