Chapter 56: A Long Weekend in the Cove with Friends.

As we motored down the harbor towards open waters we reached the point where I had seen Kay for the very first time. "Everybody, check the water, see if there is anything in it that we should pull aboard the boat."

Everyone looked over the side in the water on both sides of the boat, everyone but Kay. She looked back at me from the deck with a raised eyebrow.

Troy and Alice looked over quickly and then looked at me and the smile on my face. Troy said, "I don't see anything, should I?"

"Not necessarily but I've been by this point and had to pluck something out of the water."

"Something?"

"Yeah, it was a bit of flotsam or jetsam from another boat and it was just bobbing in the water. I was afraid it could get hit by another boat or worse get fouled in someone's propeller."

"Were you by yourself? Was it hard to bring aboard?"

Kay and Holly came back into the cockpit. Kay said, "The forward deck is clear." Holly took her PFD off again and sat next to her mom.

"That's good; we'll raise sails shortly. I was just telling Troy and Alice about that time I came through this section of the harbor when I found some flotsam or jetsam and pulled it out of the water." It was all I could do not to laugh.

"Flotsam or jetsam, hunh." Kay was looking at me.

"Yeah, flotsam or jetsam, you know, the kind of thing that can sometimes come adrift from a boat."

Troy was looking at me, then Kay, then back at me. "Is there some sort of inside joke here?"

"Hmmm, what would you say, Kay, is there some sort of inside joke here?"

"There's something here. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a joke, though. Troy, Alice, it's not something I think we should be discussing right now, maybe later."

I looked around us in the harbor, there weren't any boats near enough to worry about and we were far enough down channel to shake out the sails. I took the wheel from Gary. "Okay everybody, I think this is as good a time as any to stop motoring and start sailing. Kay, are you ready?"

"I'm ready. Do you want me to release the jib furling line?"

"Yeah, let's get on the jib sail, and then I'll kill the engine before I raise the main sail. Troy, I need you and Alice to shift to the rear on the bench seats, you're sitting where I need to work the jib sheets."

Kay released the line and I pulled on the downwind jib sheet to start the jib unfurling, when the wind caught the sail it filled and fully unfurled. I wound the jib sheet around the winch and pulled it in before setting the sail. Kay took a little tension on the furling line and set its cleat, just so the line wouldn't be flopping around as we sailed.

Troy and Gary were watching and Gary asked, "Is that it?"

I adjusted the sail and wheel so we were still moving down the channel but now we were turned about thirty degrees from straight down the channel. "That's the start, now I'll kill the engine." I matched my actions to the words.

"Are you ready for the main, Rob?" Kay asked.

I released the main sheet and then lowered the boom crutch so the boom could swing freely. "Raise the main sail, Kay."

Kay started pulling the line to raise the main. To make sure it went all the way up she took the halyard to the winch and cranked it up before cleating it off. As soon as she had it up, I pulled in on the main sheet and we heeled over a little into what was a good sailing position. When we were stable I said, "Ladies and gentlemen, you are free to move around the cabin," trying to imitate the announcement made on a plane.

I had Gary take the wheel again. "We're going to sail just like this for about ten minutes, Gary, and then we'll have to change tacks so we stay mostly in the channel as we sail towards the harbor mouth. Got it?"

"Okay, Mister Rob, but you're going to tell me when to turn, aren't you?"

"I'll let you bring us about but I'll be watching over you."

"Will I get a turn?" Holly asked.

"Of course you will. I'm going to let Gary take us out of the harbor and into open waters first. Holly, I'll make sure you get a chance, too, and I'll watch over you or you can have Kay watch over you."

"Kay can sail this, too?"

"Sure she can, and she frequently does, just ask her."

"Really, Kay?" Holly turned to look at Kay.

"I do, but not in any sort of rough weather. This was Rob's sailboat before we got married and he's taught me to sail but he's much better at it than I am. Neither Rob nor I sail in challenging weather, if we can avoid it. If the weather turns bad while we're out, he takes the helm. We sail for the fun of it, not to take unnecessary risks. We're not adrenaline junkies; we don't jump off buildings or bridges, we don't race cars or motorcycles. I MIGHT consider trying sky diving but I don't know if Rob would."

"I might let you talk me into it, Kay, but you'd have to work at it."

"Even if I say please with cream and sugar?"

"Even then, I don't think it makes any sense to jump out of a perfectly good airplane when it's flying. If it's on the ground I might consider it."

"You're just hard headed," Kay said.

"No, I'm sensible and since we're not in any sort of airplane right now, I don't see any reason to discuss this any further. Talk to me the next time we're on a plane."

Kay blew a long wet raspberry at me. Troy and Alice chuckled while Holly and Gary laughed outright.

"Uh, Rob, should we turn the boat or something? Gary asked.

I looked to see where we were and said, "This is as good a time as any. I'll let you do it but let me tell you what's going to happen. You're going to turn the wheel and the bow of the boat will swing in the direction you turn the wheel. As the boat moves the wind will change the direction it hits the boat. The boom, this thing," I raised my hand to the boom, "will swing across from one side to the other. We'll let Kay work with Holly and show her what to do with the jib sheets so the jib moves across, too. Okay?"

"Un-huh."

"You two can stay right where you are," I said to Troy and Alice.

Kay showed Holly the jib sheets and told her what she was going to have to do. Kay then looked over to me and nodded her head.

"Okay, let's go. Turn the wheel, Gary."

He turned the wheel, the bow moved through the wind, the boom swung over and Holly worked the jib sheets with Kay's guidance. It took less than thirty seconds and we were on a new tack, headed back across the channel but still moving towards the harbor mouth, just as we should. We made some minor adjustments to trim the boat and make it stable again.

"You guys did good," I said to Gary and Holly. "Kay, I guess we can go below and play cards with Troy and Alice."

Gary exclaimed "What?!?" Holly got a panicked look on her face. All of us adults chuckled.

Kay said, "Don't worry; we won't abandon you guys up here."

We sailed down the channel and after two more tacks we were sailing out through buoys one and two into open water. The wind picked up and we heeled over more but not uncomfortably. I kept us headed away from the harbor and after giving Gary a little time to feel the boat moving briskly I had Holly come take the wheel.

Kay stepped up with her. "I'll help her, Rob. Do you have anywhere in particular you want us to go?"

"I thought we'd go west until we were out of sight of land and then turn to a generally northern direction and end up the day anchored in the cove, somewhere between four and four-thirty. That'll give us a decent amount of sailing time for today and still allow us to check that the anchor sets properly before the daylight starts to recede."

"Okay, please get me the GPS unit from below."

"Right. Would anyone like a soft drink?"

I took everyone's order and then said, "C'mon, Gary, you can help me with the drinks."

Gary and I went below. I gave him the GPS unit and had him take it to Kay while I got the drinks from the battery powered chill box. I put them in can cozies to keep them cold before Gary came back below to help me and between the two of us we brought the drinks into the cockpit for everyone.

We sailed for the rest of the morning. The kids took turns at the wheel and did very well. They both were quick to understand how to adjust the sails or the boat's heading to get the most out of the wind. It was a near perfect day for sailing. Kay and Alice went below to make sandwiches for everyone. Originally I was going to make them with Kay but Troy looked a little nervous at the idea of neither Kay nor I being where we could take over if necessary. Thanks to the GPS unit, we knew exactly where we were and which direction we needed to head to get to the cove.

There were boats around that we could see but none were close. With all the open water around us I set up the auto-pilot so no one had to be standing at the wheel and we sat around in the cockpit eating the sandwiches and talking.

Troy asked, "How big is this boat, Rob?"

"It's a thirty-six footer, sloop rigged and with a deep keel."

"The two of you can sail this?"

"Actually, it's set up to be sailed by one person but they'd have to be good and know what they're doing. I used to regularly sail it by myself, until I came across Kay one day."

Alice joined the conversation. "You never did tell us how you two met. Weren't you going to do that this weekend, Kay?"

"Oh boy, yeah, I did say I would do that this weekend, didn't I? I think it should wait until this evening, though."

The talk returned to sailing and the boat when Troy asked, "How capable is this boat, Rob? Can you do more than local sailing in it?"

"If it's provisioned properly, it really isn't limited to local sailing. As it is right now I've taken it as far south as the Baha and as far north as Vancouver. I just made sure I had fuel, water and food enough to make the trip."

"You did this alone?"

"No, I had three other people with me on the Vancouver trip and one person with me going to Baha. All of them had at least some sailing experience. Those trips included open ocean sailing at night. The sky is fantastic at two o'clock in the morning when it's clear."

"I'm sure it is. What about tonight?"

"The view of the sky from in the cove is good, too. It isn't as good as from the open ocean but it is good."

After lunch I disconnected the auto-pilot and took the wheel myself to show them how you could sail almost completely around the compass. It's impressive to non-sailors but it isn't something that can be done in a harbor or other restricted waters. I kept the helm and turned the boat for the cove. I asked both Troy and Alice if they wanted to take over at the wheel but they both declined. I ended up letting the kids each take another turn.

Kay had taken over the helm from Holly and we were making our way into the cove. I took down the main sail and Troy helped me as we arranged the sail over the boom and I put the gaskets on to hold the sail in place. We had talked about it and decided to sail into the anchorage. I pulled the jib furling line and had only about half of it out, so we were sailing in slowly.

"Put your PFD on, Gary, and come up on deck with me so we can drop the anchor." We went up onto the bow and got the anchor ready.

Kay brought us into the anchorage and made it look easy. She turned into the wind and released the jib sheet so it luffed. We stopped and started drifting backwards. "Okay, Gary, now it's time to drop the anchor. Make sure you're clear of the chain and the line." He threw the anchor over the bow and stepped back as first the chain and then the line went into the water.

I cleated the anchor line. "That's it for now up here, Gary." I led him back to the cockpit. Speaking so that everyone could hear me I explained, "Now we sit and watch our position to make sure the anchor is holding us where we want to be. This is an important part of anchoring so we don't hit anything or ground."

I showed everyone how we looked at the shore in different places to make sure we weren't dragging the anchor. I explained that we had to have enough room to swing completely around the anchor so it had to stay where we set it. While I was doing this, Kay was below deck and opening all the hatches and ports so the boat would air out and be comfortable for the night.

While we were still checking that the anchor was holding, I pulled out the inflatable dinghy and started pumping it up. I knew we'd use it over the weekend and I could leave it afloat but tied to the boat until we were ready to leave for home.

I overheard Holly ask Troy, "Dad, can Gary and I get in the water?"

Troy asked me, "What do you think, Rob? Is there any reason they can't get in the water?"

"None that I know of. As soon as I'm sure the anchor is set and I have this dinghy inflated I'll be getting in the water myself to do the hull inspection I always do here."

"Honey, I'd rather you wait for an adult, so please wait. You can get everything ready in the meantime, it won't be long."

"Holly, I have to set up the boarding ladder, so you can get back aboard."

"Okay." She sounded dejected.

When the dinghy was ready I threw it over the stern and dropped its painter on a cleat so it wouldn't drift away. I went below and put on my baggies and then brought up the boarding ladder. I mounted it to the side nearest the shore before I grabbed my diving mask and jumped over the side.

I heard Holly, "Dad?"

"Go ahead but stay nearby until I talk with your mother and Kay about this."

I swam away from the side of the boat and watched as two big inner tubes were thrown in quickly followed by the two kids.

I moved back to the boat and called the kids, "Come over here for a minute, just so I can show you how to use the ladder. It has a weight at the bottom to hold it down but it's only attached to the boat at the top. It will swing and move as you go up so take it easy and don't rush. I'd rather you didn't slip on it and bang your head or worse, damage my boat." I smiled at them and laughed.

Holly splashed me for my little joke. Before I could do anything she swam away. I heard a big splash behind me, as I turned Troy broke the surface.

"This feels good." He reached for one of the tubes. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Not really, I do this every time we come here; I swim all the way around the boat. It gives me a chance to make sure everything is okay below the waterline. I also make sure the water intake for the engine isn't fouled. I don't use the engine any more than I have to but it'll overheat if it can't suck in enough water for the cooling jacket."

"I'll come around with you, if that's okay."

"Sure."

"Can we come, too?" Gary asked.

"If you'd like to, you're more than welcome to come along."

I put on the face mask and started doing the hull inspection, gradually working my way around the boat. Every six feet or so I dove down, to check everything all the way down to the bottom of the keel. When I came back up I'd tell them what I'd done. A couple of times Gary came down with me. The water was pretty clear and I didn't really need the mask but I didn't want to miss anything.

When we reached the stern of the boat I also checked the propeller, the shaft and the zincs. I was going to have to replace them soon. I climbed aboard; Kay and Alice were sitting in the cockpit relaxing and talking. I left the face mask with them and dove over the side.

I owed a young lady a splash. She and Gary were each sitting in a tube just floating lazily and talking. I came up behind Holly and flipped her over dumping her into the water. She surfaced screeching. Troy and Gary laughed, further irritating her. Holly came after me. Discretion being the better part of valor, I swam away on my back so that I could watch her. She was a strong swimmer and was closing on me, so I flipped over and swam for the shore with her chasing me. When one of my hands struck the bottom I stood up and went quickly up onto the little beach.

I looked back and Holly was still coming; Troy and Gary were following but were about twenty yards behind her. Kay and Alice were also in the water now, heading for the beach where I was laughing as Holly came up out of the water.

"You dunked me!"

"Yup!"

"Why'd you do that?"

"For the fun of it and to pay you back for splashing me."

She looked like she was stalking as she came towards me slowly. Troy and Gary came out of the water in time to hear us and Troy spoke up, "Holly, it looks like you may be biting off more than you can chew; he's a lot bigger than you are and you did start this."

She snapped around to look at her father. "I didn't dunk him."

"No, you didn't dunk him but you did splash him and start this. I've told you, you've got to expect there will be consequences for your actions. We've talked about teasing and taunting people before. You're starting high school this year and you'll be around a lot of different people, some will ignore what you do to them, some will get mad at what you do and some will respond in kind to what you do. Rob is a case of responding in kind to what you did and I, for one, don't think his response was inappropriate or excessive. In other words, you brought it upon yourself."

Holly didn't look happy. "He got you good," Gary laughed.

She whirled on him and he darted back into the water with her in hot pursuit. She was going into the water as Kay and Alice were coming out. Alice watched as Gary played 'keep away' darting in different directions as Holly tried to catch him. I had no idea what she would do if she caught him.

"I'm sorry if I started something I shouldn't have, Troy."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Those two chasing each other is normal. They're about equal even though she's nearly three years older than him. They haven't managed to do any permanent harm to themselves yet, so we let them continue. Think of it as their safety valves for excess personal energy,"

"They do have the energy to spare, it seems."

Kay and Alice joined us. "This is the little beach Rob and I were telling you about. This is state land, we think. There's virtually no access from the land side because of the woods and the rocks, additionally there's no parking area and no path down here from the road. That has both benefits and drawbacks. Very few people come here, which makes it fairly private, but even though it's state land, the state doesn't do anything to maintain it. The people who come in here have to clean up after themselves to keep it looking good."

Alice said, "If the people are cleaning up after themselves, they're doing a good job of it but where do you put the trash?"

"We carry it in, we carry it out. I try to take out ten percent more than I bring in, everyone does that. It is an unspoken agreement by the people that use the cove. It ends up that this beach is kept cleaner than the beaches the state maintains."

"Didn't you say we were going to do a marshmallow roast on the beach?" asked Alice.

"I sure hope so; otherwise we brought a lot of marshmallows for nothing."

"But I thought the state didn't allow open fires on the beaches."

"They don't but that's another advantage of there not being any access from the shore side. No one comes in to tell us we can't do what we're doing when we have the fire. We already have a kind of fire pit that we've surrounded with large stones."

"Kay, why don't you show Alice and Troy the woods. I'll stay here to keep an eye on the kids."

Alice said, "The kids will want to see the woods, too."

"They'll get to see them a little later, when we send them in to pick up some loose wood to for the fire."

"We'll have to tell them to watch out for the wild beasts when we send them in."

"Troy, there aren't any wild beasts in those woods."

"I know that, you know that, Kay and Rob know that, but the kids don't." He chuckled.

"I'm sure they know too, with all the camping we've done."

"They may know it deep down inside, but I'm counting on the strangeness of a new area to spook them some."

"That's mean, Troy."

"Nah, just my way of having some fun, too."

Kay looked like she wanted to get in on the fun. "C'mon then, we can scope out the woods and see if there's anything we can do to help spook them."

The three of them went to look through the wooded area while I stayed to watch over the kids. They didn't need much watching over. They weren't going out too deep and even though they were occasionally getting close enough to each other for dunking, neither one was trying to drown the other. I took the time to clean out some of the sand that had drifted into our fire pit area.

When the adults came back from the wooded area, we called the kids and everyone swam out together to the boat. I went up the boarding ladder first to show everyone how it was done again and then I stayed at the top of the ladder to help everyone back aboard. Kay stayed at the bottom of the ladder to help at that end. The kids came up, agile as monkeys. Alice had a little trouble but Troy was right behind her to help. Kay followed him.