TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

DAY ONE: With all my excitement, I board my boat, give the engine a pull, start her up, warm her up, untie my lines and enjoy the gentle breeze and current pushing me along, through the lagoon, that I am docked in. As I approach this beautiful, brand new white 38 foot something or other, I "pop" the motor into FORWARD gear and…nothing!..that’s right NOTHING ! The 38 ft something or other is getting closer and that gentle breeze, well now it feels like a cyclone.

I try again and again AND again..NOTHING !! I grab my trusty "line hook", jump up to the bow and use myself, the stick and place a bumper, (just in case) and push off the 38 ft something or other… well now this is where physics comes back to get me…

    "Every action must have an equal and opposite reaction"

So the boat collison is averted, well at least in the front, because with all my "action", my boat began to do " a litttle spin" and now…well let’s just say the "reaction was happening", I ran to the back of my boat and did a "push off" again..not as hard this time. Well as I was trying to toss my anchor, which was stored, I was basically pushing back and forth in this 40 ft lagoon, spinning and bouncing, for what felt like days, (20 minutes). A buddy came by threw me a line and towed me back.

Reality Check DAY ONE:

1. Buy Insurance.
2. Check engine BEFORE throwing your lines.
3. Total distance of first Voyage (not including spins, bouncing and tow)...65 yards !