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me. In the yard, a few boats had their masts down, and it didn’t look as if they would be going back up anytime soon. What happened, I wondered? An expensive rigging job? A soggy deck? Shifted bulkheads? Killer bees and locusts? Here we go again. Why did I ever haul her out in the first place, especially in this, the winter that wasn’t of 2012?
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46 April 2012 SpinSheet
www.tortugafun.com f
April is the month where it all comes back together, at least in my dreams. The engine purrs like a kitten, tested and ready to hang from the transom once more. A mast-raising party has assembled to lift the stick skyward to its rightful place. The brightwork that was taken home for the winter gleams under eight or nine coats of fresh varnish. I’m not there to see her lowered into the water again; I can’t stand to see the yard birds scurrying aboard her. Fifteen miles away in my office, my fingers are crossed and a prayer is delivered to Poseidon for a safe return to her slip. I can’t think about anything else. I skip out of work early and head for the marina, and there she is—riding easily in her element where she belongs, topsides gleaming with fresh wax. I can’t see the blisters, but her bottom paint looks fabulous just above her marks. She’s home. And so am I. Life is good again.
About the Author: Steve Allan sails his Laguna 26 sloop, Annie’s Rose, out of Middle River and is a member of the Frog Mortar YC and the Northern Chesapeake Cruising Club. spinsheet.com