Sometimes You Meet People in the Strangest Places

Lisa and I went sailing yesterday. I know, big deal you say, those two nuts are always going sailing. Yesterday wasn't anything but unusual...except one thing.

The winds were light when it existed at all and it was hot. I mean it was middle of August in Columbia, South Carolina hot. Columbia is so hot that the official logo is "Columbia Famously Hot" . Pretty much all we did for the first couple of hours was float and sweat, or in Lisa case, perspire. I spent my time trying to coax the sails to capture any faint breeze all the while that breeze clocked around the compass teasing me into submission. I finally just let the
sheets lie and joined Lisa on the side of the boat in the shade of the mainsail. I told myself I really wasn't giving up as much as I was getting smart. We sat in silence and gave all the motor boats, who rode by and waved, the evil eye and had thoughts of gloating has we sailed by on a stiff breeze and waved as they desperately tried to get their broken engines to crank. Alas, not today. 

This isn't us but you get the idea

After awhile the breeze came up slightly as it tends to do in the afternoon on Lake Murray and we were able to get Swamp Fox to move. There was one other sailboat on our end of the lake. It was about the same size as our and we noticed that it had a Bimini top up. Lisa and I have been contemplating getting a Bimini just for days like yesterday. So I helmed over and we  sailed in their direction. The family on the boat had hove-to and were swimming around the boat. As we got closer we saw that it was an older (1974) Helms 25 and I'm thinking great maybe we can get some clear solutions to our first world problem. 

As we neared the boat we struck up a conversation immediately as sailors tend to do. I expressed my interest in his Bimini and he immediately began to offer design solutions and refit suggestions on how we could make it work. We had made a couple of laps around his boat (I really just wanted to show off my boat handling skills) when the the other skipper inquired about the amount of headroom in our cabin and I told him it was about six feet. The next thing I know he is swimming like crazy for our boat. My initial reaction was to shout to the crew (Lisa) "Prepare to repel boarders!" Instead we retracted the six inch guns and lowered the swim ladder for our impromptu guest.

As our soaked visitor climbed the ladder he stopped and began to ask several questions about our boat. We invited him to come aboard and look around all he wanted. I extended my hand and introduced myself and Lisa officially and it was then we met Patrick. Patrick came aboard and looked around and admired this and asked about that, it was then that he told us that he was trying to sell his 25 and a potential buyer was on board his boat. He also told us that he and his wife where looking for a 27 footer, something that was a bit roomer and would allow them to be more comfortable for over-nights on the lake. 

We talked a bit more about spinnaker sets and bottom paint and other such related subjects (all the while I'm still sailing circles around his boat). The wind was continuing to build just a bit and Patrick indicated he was going to disembark via the gunwale but not before I got his number and a promise to get out on the water togethre sometime soon. We maneuvered our boat next to his and he jumped in the water and climbed aboard his boat as we made one last circle and headed away on a close reach, We waved and he waved and yelled " Give me call!"

First time I've ever meet and made a new friend in the middle of a lake. Not a bad thing...not a bad thing at all.

Fair winds and Following Seas!