They opened the club for the season recently and I thought it only appropriate that I go down with the kids and help the other members get the club boats ready for the water. If we were going to use them, we should participate in the work that goes with it. And of course, the reason most people don't own boats is because of all the work that goes with it.
So on a pre-designated clean up day, down I went with Lev, Daniel, and Molloy (Kerrie has enough on her plate already that I don't think we need to add "hull sanding"). When we got there, I cannot adequately share with you how deep my secret joy was when we got to the parking lot and saw no boats. All we had to do now was go into the clubhouse and pretend we were cleaning with everyone else; a little dusting here, a little Windex there, and just hold out long enough until the pizza came. But somehow I got roped (I think that is a nautical term) into a job that apparently only I was suited for.
I was handed a tool that I didn't think was even available in the yachting community: a rake.
My assignment was to rake the beach, I kid you knot (just trying to use all my new nauticisms). I spent about 5 hours alone out on the seashelled dunes raking all the dried sea grass that had accumulated through the winter and bagging it. Molloy was a very big help, following me around with the camera documenting my effort, while the boys found the boats in a different parking lot and hung out with some other kids there.
I did hear later that I got a special mention at the recent monthly meeting for spending all that time cleaning the sandbox. I think they are secretly using the Karate Kid training program to teach me to sail; sand the floor, paint the fence, rake the beach...wax on, wax off.
I feel that promotion to Captain coming any day now.
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