You drag your gear to the club. Get into the change room, hunt for a spot, and dress warmly. You have to adjust your life jacket due to all the new layers. You debate bringing your windbreaker on board, and nix it. You try to find a boat that has all its parts. You borrow a jib from the locker next door. You get inside the boat and scoop up all those nasty wet leaves that have fallen inside. You rig it, attach the whisker pole for hopes of a quiet run, and you're off!

The regatta is no where to be seen, except-voila- there's a laser regatta taking place and you are now in the middle of it! So you find a place to sail, tighten the lines for the hiking straps, and you're off. No gusts to contend with, only steady winds. And what's a little choppy water when you're sailing in full sunshine? You hike out as much as you can and the boat is still not straight in the water. What fun! The hiking straps and the line you are holding are the only things keeping you inside that boat! Where are the cameras? You can almost hear your teacher saying- trim that mainsail, don't dump that wind (shut up Alex!)

You stay out a couple of hours and don't ever notice the time. You know your shoulders will hurt tomorrow, as will your thighs. You come in, make your approach to the docks, start to jump onto the dock and notice that your painter is all knotted with the job sheet and this approach won't do. You gibe, turn around, and the second approach is a charm. You de-rig the boat, return the other jib to its own locker, and notice the time. Where did the afternoon go?

Some of us know that every time we get in a boat in September, it might be our last time for the season. Which is one of the reasons September sailing is so charming. The winds are steady, the sky is so blue, the leaves still green, and all is right with your world. Maybe I'll get one last sail in next weekend...

There we were, my daughter Aleeza and I, all hot and sweaty, about to go for a quick sail. And then I couldn't raise the main all the way, and Brock came to the rescue. Next thing I know, Aleeza invites him to join us in our outing as skipper. We grabbed one of those orange rings that were donated, tied it to a line, and off we went.

After finding the perfect spot in the Outer Harbor (?), Brock throws out the ring and says: ok, Mom first! I had no intention of swimming, but I saw he was serious. You don't mess with your skipper, you obey! So, off I jumped, and wow- what a respite! The water was just great- even tho I only wore the bottom of my wet suit, I could have stayed out there all day... And then it was Aleeza's turn. She jumped, caught me on the ring, and we held on back to back. Of course, trailing over 200 lbs, Brock couldn't tack or jibe. Although he tried many times, pumped the rudder and somehow managed- a sign of an expert sailor! HE took us by Cherry Beach, and we passed a couple of our sailors. Howie was out on a laser, saw a couple folks in the water, knew it was our boat, so he sailed over, thinking it was a man overboard situation. Well, it was, but it wasn't!!! And Jason saw us from afar, and didn't know what was going on. Those at the club knew, because they were all teaching me how to heave, or hove, or whatever it is called- before we got Brock to join us!

Aleeza got bored, as she usually does when sailing, so we dropped the foot "ladder", tried to teach her how to use it, and Brock ended up hauling her in. Me? I just put my foot in and hauled myself up. After all the practice I had last year with dunking a boat, I knew how to get back in! We sailed a bit more, all out on the gunnel trying to keep our skipper dry (rule #1 in our boat), and then came in.

Of course, I ended up slipping on the ramp trying to get the boat into her dolly - how embarrassing but I'm told it happens all the time- and then George- faithful, easy going George, who had just docked his laser, offered to assist, and then all was well.

So, what did I learn? I learned that the lake can be a lot of fun to swim in, but you need to be prepared. I learned that Brock is a fabulous skipper, since I had never before had the opportunity to sail with him. I learned that Brock is easily swayed by a 20 yr old who says please while she is wearing a bikini! And I learned that there is a more gentle way of easing a boat into her dolly than what I had been previously doing. It is an art and a science. And mostly? I really had a ton of fun being pulled, and am reminded of that today because my back muscles are killing me!!!

Thanks to Gregg and Mary for trying to teach me the heave and hove, and to George for the rescue. My huge thanks go to Brock, who made it all happen with ease and a smile! That was a great birthday gift Brock, so thank you.

Were you at the club this long weekend, enjoying your very own cottage in the city? Well, if you weren't, you missed out! While the winds might have been shifty, or light, or gusty, the sailing was great. And even Charlie didn't turn into a lobster due to his over-application of sunscreen! And the BBQs were really quite busy (note: how much propane is in the tank? Does it need refilling?) And Leon painted the deck- so for all you who ignored his wet paint signs, now have to live with some imperfections...

So there we were, Leon and I, so close to the channel that we could clearly hear the music blaring from that casino-drinks-dance ferry. We did what any right minded sailor would do: we hitched up the whisker pole and headed home on a run. Pulled up that centreboard. Held the boom out to the halyard with Leon's head. And waited. Finally, after trying to blow some wind into the sails ourselves, a tiny bubble appeared from the rudder, and we were passing the dog swimming park- homeward bound!

So there I was last Thursday evening: no wind, with many white sail students hopeful that they would sail. I said yes to Veronica, and she promptly lit up, smiled and said, thanks, I really need the practice. After making sure the boat was rigged properly (Sean, her husband, helped out), we stood with the boat at the docks and I quizzed her as to which dock we should use. We chose the correct dock- good call Veronica!- and then she went into the boat to attach the tiller and rudder and raise the main. When everything was all set, in I got, and Martin pushed us off.