|
After a year and a half of preparing Caribbean Soul
to be sold, we finally put her on the market in April. Interest
in her was high, and by mid-May we had a signed contract.
On the day the deal was made, the buyer, a very nice gentleman
from Oklahoma, left the marina to catch his flight home. We
invited neighbors Duke and Carrie to join us for celebratory
drinks in the cockpit. As the libations flowed, we were laughing
and feeling quite exuberant. The boat was sold and now we
could move forward with the next step in our grand cruising
plan!
Suddenly, we heard a loud WHOOSH--the sound of sails whipping
across a deck. The wind was gusting over 30 knots, and a J-24
sailboat had jibed uncontrollably as it rounded the corner
of our pier. Laughter was replaced by stunned silence as we
watched the careening boat head straight for the piling on
the left side of our slip. At the last second, the wide-eyed
captain turned the boat and missed the piling. But then he
lost control again, and the boat turned into our slip heading
straight for our stern! Nick leapt out of his seat in a futile
attempt to fend off the fiberglass missile that was headed
our way. Then, just as the J-24's bow was inches from Caribbean
Soul's stern, the captain once again jerked the tiller
and turned the boat. The J-24 grazed the right piling as it
exited the slip, leaving a streak of red paint as evidence
of its trespass. In Caribbean Soul's cockpit, we all
collectively caught our breath. Our buyer was still in the
airport, and the boat had almost been sunk! What we needed
now was something to calm our shattered nerves. Ah, yes--more
beer! And the celebration continued...
|
Dakota, at anchor in Ingleside Cove for our
5th anniversary weekend
|
