[Rhodes22-list] Swim Call Aboard Le Menagerie!

[Jim White]

   I haven't posted in awhile. The University has been causing me grief
   with switching over to the new (improved?) oracle system, so my email
   has been sort of screwed up.Hopefully this one will work.
   I thought ya'll might enjoy a chuckle.
   Last Saturday, here in the deepest part of South Texas, the sailing
   weather was perfect. Winds were light ESE, around 10-12kts. The water
   was aquamarine blue, matching the sky. Not too many folks out for the
   labor day weekend either. Most people were taking part in the opening
   of Whitewing Dove season, which is akin to a religous ritual here. We
   had the Laguna and Gulf of Mexico pretty much to ourselves. So...we
   decided to goof away the day sailing leisurely over to Barracuda Bay
   (it's name is a lot worse than its reputation), and let our twin
   daughters fish for awhile. The sail over was pretty much close hauled,
   and now that I have Menagerie wired, actually quite easy. As someone
   mentioned earlier, all you have to do is think about coming about, and
   the boat responds. Plus my wife is about the best sailhandler I could
   ask for, so the trip was uneventful.
   Well, as is usual for this place in the early fall, temperatures were
   broiling, middle 90's.  Understand that our boat has been a project of
   love for us, and on a biologists wages (yea...I know everyone thinks
   Marine Biology is ultra-glamor...Jacque Cousteau and all...now if the
   pay were only so glamorous), lots of our "improvements" have been
   improvisations...including our honest-to-god sailors rope swim ladder.
   After about an hour of baiting hooks and removing fish, I figured it
   was time for a swim call....so overboard I went.
    Barracuda bay is adjacent to the only natural pass (Brazos Santiago)
   between the Laguna Madre and the open Gulf of Mexico for something
   like 35 or 40 miles, so all of the water from the bay has to channel
   through  there on tide changes (fortunately we only experience small
   tide changes). I noticed that the current was running pretty strong
   though....
   I struggled back aboard with the confounded rope ladder, the current
   kept wanting to swing it under the boat. My wife decided she wanted to
   cool off too, so over the side she went. She was a lifeguard in
   school, but we've both come a few miles since then, although she still
   has a thoroughly classic swimming style. Next, the twins decided they
   wanted to swim too, so I pitched them one at a time to Dee and they
   had fun climbing in like a couple of monkeys up the ladder. Well, I
   guess my wife finally got tired of shepherding, and decided to climb
   back aboard, but by this time, the current was really moving. She was
   able to get only about half way out of the water before the ladder
   swung under the hull. Of course the twins were asking things like "why
   do they call it barracuda bay daddy?, as their mother unit and I
   struggled with the conundrum...."After about a half dozen tries, I was
   beginning to think that maybe either I'd have to A.) Winch her aboard,
   B.) Inflate the dingy and deal with it that way, or C.) Keel haul her
   all the way back to port (about 10 miles). I guess those options
   didn't suit her too well though, and finally with a mighty effort, she
   shot over the stern, and into the cockpit.
   We opened the last two Modelo beers and set sail wing on wing all the
   way back to our slip, cracking up, and hoping no one else had seen our
   chingaso.....
   The next day we purchased a proper swim ladder.
   jw
   Jim White
   Le Menagerie