Funny dream, too. It reflected reality insofar as the air was warm, while the water was still quite chilly. It was the first surfski run of the season. I went off to do my standard post-work 8-mile run to the bridge & back, but all the sudden, a few minutes outside the basin, I realized that I'd set out dressed in the same getup as I'd been wearing on the Clarion - swimsuit & shorts - and I'd totally forgotten my lifejacket! Eek! That was fine for a 2-foot deep river but for urban paddling, apparently my never-go-out-in-NYC-waters-without-a-lifejacket rule is so hard & fast, it even extends to the REM phase of sleep - the minute I realized that I turned around to head back to the club.
Then I heard some sirens go off & I was afraid it was the Coast Guard coming because I wasn't wearing a lifejacket. It was the harbor patrol on their way to something else, but I decided that since I was not far from the basin, I would just walk back. I didn't have a tow rope & the ski is a little awkward to carry, but it was a flood tide & when I got off the ski & let it go, it went floating along in just the right direction, so I decided to walk along keeping an eye on it. This goes fine all the way back to the basin, where it turns the corner a little ahead of me. I lose sight of it & run to the other side of the bridge over the basin, afraid that I'm going to have to swim after it to keep it out of the channel (the universal Sebago reaction of complete disgust at the thought of swimming in the Paerdegat also carried over into dreamland).
Well, when I get it back in sight somehow my poor old beat-up surfski had turned into a 32-foot sailboat and there are three or four guys in a motorboat moving in on it because they think it's untended!
I'm mortified at having to explain why my boat is drifting up the Paerdegat with me running along the shore behind it instead of being on board, but I manage to convince the powerboaters that the sailboat's really mine & everything's completely under control (even though I'm actually totally confused about what had happened to my surfski & not feeling like I had things under control at all). I get on board, turn on the motor & am motoring along trying to figure out what I am supposed to do with this thing that I suddenly can't land at the Sebago dock when I woke up & realized that the whole thing was just a dream.
Not sure whether that realization was more of a "phew" or a "awwww shucks" variety!
Beats me how I manage to have a dream where my thirdhand, extremely used surfski turns into a bona fide cruising keelboat, and yet still manage to make it into an anxiety dream.
:D
Did give me a great idea for the weekend though. Sunday, the sailing co-chairs are having a practice to make sure everybody involved directly in our May 16th Laser regatta knows what we need to do to make everything go smoothly. I'm in that since my volunteer assignment is something where it would be TRAGICALLY obvious if I screw up. I was planning on getting in a paddle afterwards anyways - but I think if conditions are good, I might just modify my plans from pulling out the trusty Romany - it's about time the surfski saw the light of day in 2009! Woohoo!
Will DEFINITELY wear a wetsuit, and although it may mean the ski never gets that magic moment alone it needs to turn itself into a small cruiser, I promise I won't leave my lifejacket behind!
Saturday evening addendum: Oops. This kinda puts the kibbosh on the break-out-the-ski idea:
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING
TONIGHT: SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING W 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. WAVES 1 TO 2 FT.
SUN: W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. WAVES 1 TO 2 FT.
arrrrr...
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