Date: //
Name: Al Paul
email: al.paul@sbcglobal.net
subject:Confession
That is a fine collection of videos. Some years back when I was a kid of 74 I had a little experience that you would loved to have filmed. My friend and I were preparing to cast off from the dock in his Saber 28 for a few days of cruising on Long Island Sound. I thought I heard my skipper Dave say to cast off the stern so I uncleated the stern line and hopped aboard. Turned out that he had said nothing of the kind and now the tide current was moving the stern out while the bow was still attached. I leaped for the dock with stern line in hand intending to reattach. I missed. I came up hard against the corner of the dock and bounced off into the water. Somehow Dave, an outstanding seaman who, sadly, is now deceased, managed to start the engine, get the stern under control and lower the boarding ladder so that I could climb aboard replete with new camera which never took another picture. I was more or less OK with just a cracked rib which pained only when I breathed. Anyway, we had a fine cruise with a nice 20-25 knot breeze out of the East which kicked up a significant chop. Dave kindly promised to say nothing of my little accident and he kept the secret to his death. I lied that I had been below making a sandwich when the boat hit a rogue wave and threw me across the cabin. I now submit my confession for all to read.Now in my 80th year I look forward to another season with my SJ 21. It's rigged for reasonably comfortable single handing. Sadly, there are no other SJ 21s`in our club so I race with the 150% genny under a PHRF of 275 which equates to a TCF of 0.7879.
Al Paul, #1940
Al, the Harbor, and all of our San Juan 21 friends, wish you a healthy and happy 80th year! And, of course, "fair winds, and safe harbor".
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