Sail #9
Well we finally made it back to the boat last night after what seemed like forever! It was really just 10 days but felt like weeks. We both had missed the water and were so ready to get back out there. The winds though were not really cooperating. While we had a breeze for most of the day it had all but died by the time we got to the lake.
Even though the wind was not blowing hard enough to sail I was not too bothered by it as I had other plans in store for tonight. While Cindy was out playing with her sister in Havasu her birthday surprise had been delivered to the hanger. I took advantage of her being gone to get it wrapped up and placed inside the Memory Maker Sunday afternoon. I had several little surprises waiting on her when she got home and after she found all of those I told her she had one more to find. She looked all over the house, a couple of times, but could not find anything. She even accused me of leading her on just to get a good laugh out her. I assured her there was one more surprise and that she would know when she saw it. Then I reminded her that it took her 3 days to see the paddles I had put up at the top of the gable on the front porch so I was sure she would eventually find this one too LOL!
Arriving at the sailing association we found our Memory maker sitting patiently waiting on our return. I was glad to see that the surprise was still sitting inside her on the table. Helps being tall enough to peak in the windows. I unlocked the companionway then went about other task so that Cindy would be the one who opened the cabin to find her surprise. As you can see in this video, I think she liked it!
All this past winter and spring when we would talk about our idea of how sailing would be we always seemed to return to the idea that in the evenings when we would anchor I could fish while Cindy would paddle her paddleboard around the cove. Well after unsuccessfully trying to find a way to carry Patsy, Cindy's rigid paddleboard, aboard the boat I knew exactly what I was getting her for her birthday. Patsy was a huge hit for her birthday last year and I was pretty sure a inflatable board to carry aboard the boat would be a huge hit as well. I am glad to say I was right!
After Cindy calmed down and we got Patsy II, or P squared, to go with M squared, we finished up getting ready to launch and then headed over to the ramp. Cindy is continuing to learn how to back the trailer down the ramp and did a fine job of getting us in the water. We made quick work of the launch and I picked up my lil lady at the dock then headed out across the lake. The wind was still dead so we just motored along heading to our favorite cove on the south shore.
Once anchored we set about getting Patsy II ready for her maiden voyage. I used the electric air pump I got to use with the inflatable boat we took to Michigan to inflate the board up as much as I could. The electric pump is only good for 1 psi and the board requires 15 psi so I had to switch to the hand pump to finish bringing the board up to pressure. It took just a few minutes of pumping and the board was rock hard. So far so good. We added a bungee cord to the front tie down rings so Cindy could carry a life preserver on it as Indiana considers paddleboards to be vessels and you have to have a pfd on board. We attached the rear fin to the board then tied a painter line to the front tie down ring so we could tie her off to the boat when she was in the water. After dropping the port lifeline we slide all 10 1/2' off her into the water and she floated for the first time!!! After putting the paddle together and getting it adjusted for Cindy's height it was time for Cindy to give it a go. Sitting on the port side of the boat Cindy stepped onto P squared and away she went!
Cindy paddled all over the cove we were anchored in. I watched her some with the binoculars and could see her looking down into the water for fish then looking up in the trees the whole time wearing a big smile on her face. While Cindy paddled I worked on one of our floaty chairs that had a leak in it. I found the two pin holes and repaired them then installed the new rubber bumpers that the pop top rest on when it is down.
Our online buddy in Massachusetts who was the only other person I could find who owned a Hunter 20 like ours had bought new bumpers for their boat. He had enough left over for another boat so he kindly sent them to us. Many thanks Rob, they worked great! The old ones were so brittle they were breaking apart and falling off just leaving the screws in their place.
Cindy came paddling her way back to the boat after a nice tour of the cove
still wearing that same happy smile, and fortunately, she still had her bottoms on this time LOL!!! Unlike the night she paddleboarded with Libby at Grouse Ridge. Long story that she still refuses to share on the blog...
We were both getting hungry so after sharing a beverage in the cockpit it was time to fire up the grill and cook some dinner. It was perfect evening to have dinner on the water as we practically had the lake to ourselves. The water was calm and although we both wished we could have sailed some it was still great fun to just motor out and play on the water. There is just something very calming about a relaxing evening on the water. Soon it was time to sit down and enjoy our dinner of corn on the cob and steak ka bobs. The sweet corn was maybe the best we had this season as it was so sweet and flavorful. I really think cooking it on the grill with the husk still on it helps seal in the flavor. It is like it gets steamed inside the husk.
After dinner was done and dishes were washed and put away I asked Cindy if she would mind if I gave P squared a go. She was thrilled to see me try her out, I think half hoping I would fall off and she would get a great pic of me dripping wet. Well I did not fall off but she did get an awesome pic of me!
Upon my return to the Memory Maker we dried off P Squared and deflated her which turned out to be really easy. We rolled her up, put her bag in her travel bag, and tucked her away under the cockpit seats then headed back to port. Cindy had not slept well the previous night thanks to the time zone change from playing out on the west coast and was about to fall asleep on me as we motored back across the lake. Cindy did an awesome job of lining the boat up on the trailer and she slid half way up the bunk boards making my task of winching the Memory Maker back onto the trailer much easier. We put our girl back to bed and then headed home to bed ourselves.
Cindy was a very happy lil lady on the ride home. She had been talking about inflatable paddle boards all summer and really wanted one but I kept telling her they were too expensive. Luckily they have come down in price quite a bit and I looked and looked till I found a deal I could not pass up. After seeing Cindy's reaction when she unwrapped it and the happiness on her face as she paddled back to the boat it was worth every penny. Plus now next year when we go to MI on vacation with the gang we can take P squared along with us as she does not take up much room at all.
After how much Cindy loved the paddleboard I got her for her birthday last year I was really sweating what to get her this year that she would like just as much. I am glad to say I hit it out of the park back to back years! Now I can start worrying about what to get her for next birthday!!!
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