Sailing???

  Early in my marriage I gave thought to having a small sailboat. I managed to acquire a portable boat which I could to keep on my property next to the garage. I also bought a small two wheeler to hook up to the rear of my car that enabled me to move the boat. I went to a small water area in an attempt to learn to sail. I made some progress, but I was not really that  capable. One summer day, I asked my ten year old daughter if she would sail with me and she answered in the affirmative. So, off we went to an area next to the Long Island Sound. We disconnected the boat and pushed it into the water and climbed into it. There were many boats floating in the area waiting for their owners. It was necessary to move my boat around these others and that required a better skill than I had. Since we were not using a motor, only a sail, that required dealing with the wind and constant turning to and fro. Sailboats are steered by an underwater moveable fin or blade called a rudder. The rudder is fixed under the water at the very back of the boat. It is connected to a tiller ( a long wooden rod ) that allows the person in the boat to steer. It is the wind that causes the boat to move forward by manipulating the sail and the rudder. It took my amateurish twisting and turning almost two hours just to  sail around these other boats and out to the open water. I finally got out to the open area, when all my efforts were for naught. My daughter said, “Dad I need a bathroom.” That meant I had to spend considerable time to return to the land and more time to again sail out to the open water. I did reach the land and located a bathroom for my daughter. Did I attempt to return to sailing? No!!! I had enough and in fact decided my sailing days were over. I decided to sell the boat, but I did better. A friend of mine was a teacher at a high school in Far Rockaway and told me the school had a boating program and would appreciate it if I donated my boat. Suffice it to say, I agreed. They came to my home and hooked up the wheeler to their car, and off they went.

 I was satisfied how the matter ended since I was done with sailing and more  particularly since I helped a local public school.

Ben Haber