I went outside the boat with no other intention than to enjoy the scenery. We were sailing from Marina de La Paz to the islands for the weekend. The waves were deep blue and steeper than I expected. My sisters came out and then Jaime got a brilliant idea. At the bows of our boat, a metal bar about a foot and a half wide runs the length of the boat. There was another much thinner, rope-looking bar above it that slanted like an upside down V. We sat on the bar, jack-lined as we were to the boat. Holding on to the above bar, we tried to soak our feet in the water. As we went farther out, the waves got steeper. Sometimes, our entire legs up to the knees went under water. It got so we were counting the times our feet touched the water. "Ten! I got ten! No, wait, eeeleven!
What do you mean you got twelve? Hold a moment, thirrrrr....... teen!" We got bored when we hit a hundred so we switched to singing as many camp songs as we could remember. By this time, I was soaked up to my thighs. The waves were steep enough so Jaime hurt her bum bouncing up and down. She was the first to leave the water ride. Then Aeron, she was soaked everywhere, said she was freezing. I, me, the wuss in the family, prevailed. Naturally, I fell asleep afterwards. One day, I'm gonna do that again.
Mera Conger
s/v Don Quixote
