AUGUST... The backside of Summer... (Part 26a)

With all the attention I’d showered on Elle during the week the one thing that really got neglected was my preparation for the Summer’s second big sailing regatta. This was the three day event that I’d won the previous two years. If I’d gone back to the gas station I would’ve known that Buddy had come looking for me to help him get his boat ready to go. This was the one that was hosted at the fancy yacht club on the island where you had to take a ferry boat to get to. Even though the first race wasn’t scheduled until Friday afternoon, I knew from experience that I had to get to the ferry slip in the morning if I hoped to be able to race that afternoon. Where they were able to put up to 15 cars on at a time, they would only allow three that had boat trailers attached. I’d cleared my absence for the three days with my boss, Cliff, so that didn’t factor into my plans. I got up early, even for me, and headed for the sailing club. Fortunately, there were a few others who had the same idea so I did have some help in moving my boat off the sand and to the parking lot. We all left together and were greeted by a long line at the ferry. Not good!

On top of that my regular crew, John, was off visiting prospective colleges with his parents. I was a bit peeved in that John knew the importance of this particular weekend and now wasn’t going to sail with me. I got lucky in that one of the people who normally raced at the sailing club, David, had been going to Summer school and was now home. He'd decided not to race and was available to crew for me. The downside was that he was 40 pounds heavier than John. That was going to be a problem unless the wind really blew hard. But at least I had a crew.

By the time I got to the yacht club, most of the good places to park boats were taken and there was absolutely no place to park the car. I was kicking myself for not getting the boat ready the night before when I had the chance. By the time I finally got the car parked I was pretty stressed. David still hadn’t arrived and I had to rig the boat (put the mast in place and put the sails on). I barely had the mast in place when one of the twin girls that I’d raced against two weeks prior showed up. In spite of my “stress”, the first thought I had was in wondering if she was still wearing the heavy cotton panties that I’d seen her wear before. Somehow, on the trip from her home, they lost a couple of the pins necessary to hold the stays that hold the mast in place. I didn’t need the interruption but I did have a soft spot in my heart for her and her sister so made the trek back to the car. With pins in hand I approached their boat and as I did my frustration disappeared. The other sister was inside the boat, on her back and up under the foredeck. One of her legs was tucked up and as I approached I had almost a half crotch look at her panties. At first blush they sure looked like the same ones as before. With the other sister right there I only had those few seconds to do my peeking without being caught.

David showed up in time to finish getting the boat ready so I could attend the skipper’s meeting. The wind was, uncharacteristically, blowing quite hard for that time of the morning. I was surprised that the race committee had decided to send the four larger classes of boats (including mine) out into open water. If tradition held, the wind would build once afternoon arrived. With David and his extra 40 pounds I knew it would be an advantage for me. But I was also thinking about the twins who, between the two of them, probably weighed 80 to 100 pounds less than we did. Then there was Buddy. He’d decided to have his girlfriend, Carol, crew for him. It would be the first time in a race for her and, in talking with him during the meeting, he admitted that she was a bit overwhelmed.

It didn’t take long for us to take command of the race. Because we were sent out into open water we were using government placed bouys as course markers. That allowed us to pretty much pick where we wanted to sail. By the time we reached the first mark we had no idea who was second. The wind was really blowing hard and even with our added weight we had a hard time controlling the boat. On the last leg, heading for the finish line, we saw any number of boats being towed with their sails down. We also saw a few capsized boats waiting for assistance.

When we got back to club I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even though we’d been the first boat to cross the finish line there were at least a dozen boats waiting for the hoist. They’d all quit for one reason or another. When it finally came our turn to be hoisted out of the water it was plain to see that there were quite a few damaged boats. I wanted to check on Buddy and Carol and while looking for them I came across the twins. They were dressed in dry clothes and looked as if they hadn’t sailed at all. They had but they had a problem right after the start and capsized. So, they were the first back to the club and had showered and changed. As it turned out they were looking for me. They had broken a part that held the rudder onto the boat and wanted to see if I had a spare. I told them I’d be over to their boat after I tracked down Buddy and Carol.

I came across Carol first. She looked like a drowned rat, soaking wet and her hair all askew. I asked what had happened and she said that when they got to the open water Buddy decided it was more that she could handle and they turned back. Then, after they got back and had the boat secured on the trailer, Buddy went to his car to get their dry clothes he couldn’t find his keys. Fortunately for Carol it was still very warm.

The twins were unbelievable. Think of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” and you get an idea of their personalities. They were sitting on the side of their boat, swinging their legs with big smiles on their faces. They jumped down off the boat to show me their problem. It was bad. I didn’t have the part they needed and worse, I didn’t know anybody who did. It was something that “never” broke. Even with that news, it didn’t discourage them. It was like they believed that, somehow, someway, it would get fixed.

Buddy tracked me down and I offered to drive both him and Carol home. I caught up with David and got him squared away for the next day’s schedule. I don’t remember how the subject came up but, before we all left, David became aware of the twin’s plight. They had already gone for the day but we stopped and looked at their boat and David said he’d be willing to take the one from his boat off and let them use it. The girls were right... it was going to be fixed.