Sunday, August 20, 2000

 

11:10 p.m. Yup. A day spent on the water. Yup yup yup. This lovely photo was taken as we steamed back into our own berth in the channel. Yup. I'm beginning to think this might be a beautiful thing.

Even I was moved by the sparkle on the water. Ok, maybe "moved" is not the right word. There is no way I could have taken a photo of what it was like on the ocean, but I really should try next time. Picture this picture (to the left, or port of this column) and then shake it violently back and forth back and forth whoopsie daisy. Thus, you have the ocean.

I did much of the sailing myself today. I held the tiller (rudder, steering mechanism) with one rubbery arm, and I held onto the doorway of the cabin with the other. Your knuckles really do turn white, even with Bain de Soleil slathered all over them, I've observed.

The weatherladies gave us a lot of warning late last night, but I knew we'd go out anyway, if only to escape the dreadful rat. There have been typhoons in the Pacific for the last few days and we were warned that the swells were -- well, swell. Let's say: very swell. There was also a pretty good breeze.

This combination results in your boat tipping over in a most frightening fashion and your sails strain to their very stitching. Old salts call this "sailing." I lub the land. I call it demanding. Terrifying. Challenging. But I held on and hopped the waves and tried not to look into the interior, where a hat was swinging back and forth, back and forth ...

There were a lot of boats out today, a lot of jets taking off from LAX and motoring overhead in a gray streak of cloud, a lot of advertisements trailing behind prop planes, a lifeguard boat speeding past, horns preceding, several skittish little UCLA learning dinghies, a few gnatty jet skies, the occasional huge pleasure boat with full orchestra aboard, and I managed to miss them all, due to my competent steering.

I'm learning lots of things, least of which is my left from my right. I can see that the wind lifts our telltails -- or is it telltales? -- and stretches them straight out from the mast. It's a good idea to look up at them every now and then. While doing this, I can thereby point the bow in different directions, a few of which have proven to be effective.

I can also wrap the mainsail up into a tight roll and bungee it and cover it with the black sheath I've mended. I add all these skills to my first and best skill: coiling the quoin. So, growth is possible. Have a stout heart and a steady stomach.

We came back home all dirty, tired, sunburnt, and hungry and I set about making a quality dinner because really, I am a wonder woman. And sure enough, upon climbing the stairs, Igor again came face to face with the rat, who is increasingly making himself at home. Our/his home. He rounded a corner and sauntered back into the wall.

I'm becoming more convinced that he's an escaped extra or stand-in from either Stuart Little or Mouse Hunt. He's just too acclimated to be wild. Wouldn't it be weird if they actually train a bunch of them for movies and commercials and then let them loose again, just the way they do real actors?

Nevertheless, new skill set or not, SAG notwithstanding -- he's going to face termination. This is a tough town. But I'm tougher yet.