WINDING DOWN SUMMER... into Autumn (Part 121c)

WINDING DOWN SUMMER... into Autumn (Part 121c)

It had been a while since I had a sleepless night because of an upcoming event. I was up and ready to leave by 7am but I knew that was kind of stupid because no one would be there at that hour. I finally left for the sailing club a little before 8am. It didn’t look like it was going to be all that nice a day but it didn’t matter. Regardless of the outcome of the races I knew it would be fun to see the ”old timers“, even if the oldest of them was probably only 40. I wasn’t the first to arrive. There was a small group of guys gathered around one of the cars in the parking lot and, whoever it was, like me, had a Sunfish on a trailer behind his car. When I got up close I could see it was Martin, a guy we’d all competed against who had belonged to a rival sailing club. Come to find out, Rex, who’d organized the whole event, had seen him at the local post office and had found that he’d recently moved into town. In the course of conversation he ended up inviting him. We probably spent a good half hour getting caught up with each other and reliving old times. Rex showed up around 9am followed soon thereafter by a lot of people I didn’t really know. Come to find out most of them were the people who were loaning their Sunfish boats for the races.

By 10am there were nine of us ”old timers“. Not all of the old group were able to make it, but it was a good mix. I connected with Buddy right away and then Willie. Most of the guys arrived alone but Merry, Willie's wife, was with him. I almost didn’t recognize her as she’d lost weight. Always pretty, she looked really good and was dressed in a sundress. It was short enough that I fantasized that with a little breeze I might eventually get a ”peek”.  Rex called for a meeting and outlined the format... three races with one in the morning and two after a lunch break. The owners of the borrowed boats were busy getting them rigged (sails on and up with the rudder attached) Martin and I had to do it ourselves so were really hustling to be ready by the warning horn.

Sailing out to the starting line I started noticing things about the other boats that were different from mine. I won’t bore you with details but it became obvious soon after the race began that I wasn’t competitive. Trailing the others I decided to try and observe them and to try and identify some of the differences. Martin ended up winning and once on shore I asked him to look at my boat to see if he could make some suggestions that might help my performance. I remember him laughing when he came over, saying that it looked like my boat had just been delivered from the factory. He pointed to all the other boats on the beach and said they’d all been modified for racing. He was very nice and said he could/would help me out. He worked with me the whole lunch break even giving me a piece of equipment that he guaranteed would help. His wife was nice enough to bring us food and something to drink. She wasn’t much to look at but was wearing shorts and I did get a bit of a VPL when she bent over to pick up the leftovers.

I went up to the clubhouse to use the bathroom and did get to see Ruthie and Carol. Ruthie had put on some weight but was still cute. She had her hands full with two young boys but I did get to tell her that Elle would be coming later. I made a concerted effort to find Merry but she was sitting in a rocking chair so there wasn’t much to see. Two of the wives that I didn’t particularly like were there and holding “court”. I never could stand their superior attitude, especially as it pertained to Elle. One of them and gone to the same college as Elle but had married into money. With it came a change in attitude and not for the better. It was while I was on my way back to the boat that I remembered Cat. I’d had some really good times (and peeks) when she was sailing with us. I made a mental note to follow up on where she’d gone.

Martin’s “tweaks” to my sails and rigging plus the new piece of equipment made a world of difference in the next race. I won’t say that I was threat to win but I was definitely more competitive. By the third race the wind had come up and I was getting tired. In this type of boat you have to hike out (get as much of your body over the side) to keep it relatively flat (level) and I wasn’t in the physical shape necessary to do it. Not last, but definitely not competitive, I still had the feeling of satisfaction as I headed for shore. I was already thinking about racing next Summer and vowing to be in better shape.

Elle and the kids were waiting on shore. Naturally, Anne wanted to go for a sail. There was just no way as my hands were almost raw and my legs were shaking. Elle, with her period, wasn’t dressed for it and not willing to take her. She'd caught up with all the women she’d wanted to see and was ready to go home. As part of the event there was a cook out scheduled a bit later. Elle wasn’t feeling all that well and told me she didn’t want to go back. However, I wanted to go. She asked me to help with the kids as for supper but by the time I got back to the clubhouse most of the food was gone. I found some salad to munch on and then made an effort to chat and to get caught up with some of the others that I’d missed after the races. Willie and his wife, Merry, were out on the porch so sat down with them.

This was the first time he’d been back to the area in two years. He told me that he’d been very busy turning the Evette division into a profit maker for his father’s company and it that it had just been sold. I asked what that meant for him and his face lit up like a light bulb. “New Orleans!” was his enthusiastic answer. Merry seemed to be a bit out of it and was just sitting there. I’d hoped for a peek somewhere during the day but it didn’t look good. Willie went on that his father had bought another distressed company and Willie was supposed to try and do the same thing down there as it also ran a lingerie division. I had to ask what was the brand. When he said "Sans Soucie" it was my face that lit up. He noticed and made a comment and asked how I’d heard of it. When I told him that I’d stumbled upon them in a small store in the city he was surprised. By then Merry was definitely bored and had tried to get out of the rocking chair she was in. It was obvious that she needed help. Willie had to lift her up and as he did I thought I might get my peek but, unfortunately, it didn’t come to pass. He helped her inside and then stuck his head out of the door and asked if I could stop by his place the next morning. I nodded affirmatively before I could think about it and then he disappeared back inside. That was the last I saw of him that night.

To be continued...