This Boat is Out of Character
“The problem started with a 99 cent part,” Tony began his long, sad tale. Tony can tell a good story. He and his wife Rosemary have lived in the house next door to us at Candlewood Lake since the 1960s. We bought ours in 2014 so we met them some 12 years ago, and became friends right away. We are also friends with his two children, who are of our generation and his grandchildren are good friends with our girls. Over the years we have visited them in Denver and Moorehead City, North Carolina and always enjoy their company.
Tony has shared lake stories about his childhood, Candlewood Lake and our house in the past, but this story is different. He drives a vintage Supra ski boat complete with 1970’s orange stripes, but today there is a brand-new pontoon boat sitting on his dock. I am curious.
When we arrived, his entire family are visiting as they do for one week each summer and disembarking from the curious boat.
Apparently, the problem began with the ignition key tumbler nut coming loose, keeping his starter motor engaged during a cruise, burning out the motor. His son Craig, who is an athlete, tech wizard and great mechanic, replaced the part with one provided by the marina, but that new starter motor unfortunately was wired to turn the opposite way, inevitably filling the engine with water when it was engaged. So a 99 cent problem will cost thousands to repair.
The Captain back at the helm.
Embracing My Inner Child
We could not resist taking a ride in the very plush rental boat and hanging out with Tony, his daughter Nicole, two of her girls Vanessa, Natalie, and ten year old Nico, who is Craig’s son. So we journeyed down to Dike Point Park and anchored in the quiet waters. I thought Nico would enjoy the rope swing there, so we swam off and climbed up the rocky shore line. After investigating for a bit, we determined that the rope was not long enough to safely extend us beyond the rocks into deep water. Besides, we could not find a way to reach it with our hands from the cliff. Pushing aside my fear of heights, there’s only one good way down, so Vanessa and I jumped the twelve feet from the rocks, being sure to propel ourselves out far enough to reach deep water.
We swam back to the boat and spent time diving off, with Nicole and Natalie rating our dives. Vanessa has a beautiful swan dive and Nico did a half corkscrew. My first dive did not rate so high, so I upped the ante with a surprise cannonball which was recorded in slow motion – getting good grades all around.
I spotted a different rope swing in the area and we swam about 200 yards to the far shore. This was the longest swim I have done in a long time, but I felt comfortable in the water after all of my swimming lessons and time in the pool. The rope swing here was safer and we took turns jumping off the swing and skimming rocks off the peninsula.
It has been a long time since I let myself simply play like this. I am sure I would not have done any of it if I were not exploring this year of adventures. The pursuit of new experiences helps to remove barriers for me, and I am more open to chance, and being a little silly. Or maybe it’s just because I don’t get to be around a ten year old boy very often. Either way, It was a great experience to simply let go.
While we were out in the cove, word came that the boat was repaired and we headed back to the marina and swapped back to the ski boat for the return voyage.
While we were at the marina, we were surprised to run into Jonathan and his family, getting gas for their boat – they are scheduled to be our guests for dinner tonight!
A First Sail
Over the previous week Nico had been in sailing camp visiting his Aunt Nicole and Uncle John in North Carolina. I was hoping for an opportunity to take him out on my Hobie Cat, which I had not sailed yet this year. We received some light winds from the south east after lunch and I rigged the boat and the two of us went out. Sherry and I met Nico when he was two, watching him grow and it was good to spend some time alone with him doing something we both enjoy. The Hobie is much larger than the Optimus he sailed at camp, has both a mainsail and jib, and does not sail as close to the wind, so there was a lot to teach.
Nico learns fast. As soon as we got some consistent wind, I let him take the tiller and I found he has good instincts. I felt comfortable with him steering – he knows the wind and is on his way to becoming a good sailor.
Nico reefs the jib.
Can you guess whose boat is in the background?
Hint, our dinner guests!
A last minute gathering
Andres and Catalina moved in next door to Tony and Rosemary about 5 years ago. They have been actively modernizing their house and we’ve enjoyed watching the progress and getting to know them. They invited us for a last minute gathering along with Tony, Rosemary and the whole gang. We joined them for a quick bite and a drink. We could not stay long, because guests were coming to our place a few minutes later.
Friends Staying Down the Block
Our last activity of the day was hosting a dinner. We had heard that Jonathan and Katherine, who we know from Mamaroneck were staying at a house on the lake they won in a charity auction. It turns out that the house they were using was on our block, just six houses away! When we heard, we reached out and invited them to Friday night dinner. They were joined by their children Rebecca and Joshua and our friends Alice and Roger. The two couples had crossed paths before and we all enjoyed a beautiful evening with clear weather, great food and good conversation. Jonathan is an avid boater and waterskiier and shares his passion with his family. Roger and Alice love to bicycle and we all found a common passions to discuss.
That was a busy and fun day. I am ready for sleep!