January, 2021
The first experiences sailing were while in high school. One of my friends at the time, Pinkie Taylor, was a sea scout, and he had access to a large wooden sailboat belonging to the Sea Scouts. The scouts kept the boat moored in the middle of a small bay at the marina in Corpus Christi. We didn't have access to a boat to take us out to the moored sailboat, so one of us would just swim out to the boat and then pick up everyone else at the dock. Usually, when we went sailing, the only person on board whowho had any experience was Pinkie, but he would teach us what we needed to know to get by as deckhands each time we went out.
This boat had a wooden bow sprint that was reinforced by two chains, one on each side. For sport and to cool off, in the hot Corpus Christi summer days, we would take turns hanging from the bow sprint chains and letting our bodies drag in the water while sailing. Another stupid sport we had was for two guys to jump off the boat as we were sailing. To get back on board, the boat would come about and sail right toward us and luff the sails. As the boat approached, each guy, one on each side, would grab his bow sprint chain and climb on board. What can I say, but we were young and not too smart.
This boat had a wooden bow sprint that was reinforced by two chains, one on each side. For sport and to cool off, in the hot Corpus Christi summer days, we would take turns hanging from the bow sprint chains and letting our bodies drag in the water while sailing. Another stupid sport we had was for two guys to jump off the boat as we were sailing. To get back on board, the boat would come about and sail right toward us and luff the sails. As the boat approached, each guy, one on each side, would grab his bow sprint chain and climb on board. What can I say, but we were young and not too smart.
The waterfront in Corpus Christi is protected from wind, waves, and storm surge by a line of rocks curving all the way around the front of the marina. It makes a great place to water ski or sails when the wind is up, as it usually is in Corpus in the summers. On the leeward side of these rocks in places, small sand beaches have developed over time, and they are great for beaching a small boat to spend time in the sun, have a picnic or party on, which we usually did a lot.
One day I was at the helm, and we were sailing back and forth inside the rocks, and as I passed near one of the small beaches, everyone on board jumped off the boat and left me all alone. Needless to say, I was shocked and alarmed. I hadn't been sailing that long. I didn't know what to do as the boat was almost too large to sail alone. Like a pro, I turned the boat around and headed for the beach, luffed the sails, and ran the boat up on the beach. Everyone was shocked that I knew what to do, and so was I.
In those days, they always had a dance on Wednesday nights on the middle T-Head in the summers. We called them Ritter dances because Tex Ritter was a country performer at the time, and they were playing country music at the dances. On Wednesday night, we sailing around in the dark during the dances, and someone on board came up with the idea to try to pick up some girls from the dance. The plan was to sail the boat as close as we could to the T-Head, have someone step off the boat, and go after girls. The boat would come back by to pick up our scout and any girls with him. As the boat approached, he would just step back on again. Believe it or not, this worked out pretty well.
Sometimes, if the wind was not just right, and we got too close to the T-Head, we would not get the boat off the concrete. The boat would scrape along the T-Head, doing some damage to the boat's railing, I am sure. This went on all that summer, and we had lots of fun sailing that big old, slow wooden boat. I don't remember all the details now, but we lost access to the boat, and my sailing experiences stopped.
Sometimes, if the wind was not just right, and we got too close to the T-Head, we would not get the boat off the concrete. The boat would scrape along the T-Head, doing some damage to the boat's railing, I am sure. This went on all that summer, and we had lots of fun sailing that big old, slow wooden boat. I don't remember all the details now, but we lost access to the boat, and my sailing experiences stopped.
After moving to Colorado and finding myself divorced, I met a new lady named Sharon Weiss Lefforge, whose family owned a condo on Lake Dillon, which is in the mountains just west of Denver.
One weekend we were up there watching the sailboats out on the lake, and she said, " I wish we could go sailing." I said, "well, let's go." She said," before one can rent a boat, they make you take a test to be sure you can sail. I tried and couldn't pass it." I went down to the office, inquired about the test, took it, and passed. The next thing I knew, we were on the lake sailing. It is one thing to take a test and another to actually do the deed. When a big puff of wind hit us, and I could not control the boat, I realized I didn't know that much about the craft of sailing a small boat in lots of shifting wind on a lake that's water level was at 10,000 feet above sea level.
One weekend we were up there watching the sailboats out on the lake, and she said, " I wish we could go sailing." I said, "well, let's go." She said," before one can rent a boat, they make you take a test to be sure you can sail. I tried and couldn't pass it." I went down to the office, inquired about the test, took it, and passed. The next thing I knew, we were on the lake sailing. It is one thing to take a test and another to actually do the deed. When a big puff of wind hit us, and I could not control the boat, I realized I didn't know that much about the craft of sailing a small boat in lots of shifting wind on a lake that's water level was at 10,000 feet above sea level.
Once back in Denver, the next weekend, we found someone to take sailing lessons from, and that was the start of a process that lasted for many years. When Sharon and I married, we still had the desire to sail, so we bought a small sailboat (Venture 22), put it on a small lake in Denver called Cherry Creek, and started sailing every weekend. We joined the Denver Yacht Clubmet lots of nice people at the lake, and sailing became our way of life. The big sport at Cherry Creek was sailboat racing, and I soon found out that the boat we bought was not very fast. In fact, it was the slowest out there. There was one other boat like ours in the club, and he and I usually raced to see who would not be last in our club races.
After a few years, we outgrew the 22-foot boat, and at the end of the summer of 1986, we bought a Catalina 25. There was a large fleet of Catalina 25 boats in our club, and the racing competition was fierce. The first race I entered with the new boat was a Wednesday night fun race, and I finished first overall. I was hooked on racing! The next summer, I won every award that was given for racing in our club.
After a few years, we outgrew the 22-foot boat, and at the end of the summer of 1986, we bought a Catalina 25. There was a large fleet of Catalina 25 boats in our club, and the racing competition was fierce. The first race I entered with the new boat was a Wednesday night fun race, and I finished first overall. I was hooked on racing! The next summer, I won every award that was given for racing in our club.
After a few years of lake sailing, I wanted to try a new adventure, bareboat sailing in the Virgin Islands. I had never sailed in open waters before, except in Corpus Christi, and was looking forward to the challenge. Many of our club members went sailing in the Islands in our winter month, and I was envious of them. The problem was that to charter a boat down there, one needed a crew, and I didn't have one. One needed good sailors had time to go away for a week or so and had the money to spend on the trip. I could not find anyone that met those requirements until one night at a party at our home. We were hosting a Christmas neighborhood party, and I met our new neighbors, the Harneys. She was from California, and he was from Australia. They had the money and time, and he claimed to have some experience with boats. We met and planned our trip for the following January.
I will follow this story up with another, and the title is "A Bad Ending To A good Trip."
I will follow this story up with another, and the title is "A Bad Ending To A good Trip."
