I have about decided that this "Interrupted Cruising" that I had
planned whereby I sail for a few days and then return to work and
family for a week or so is very difficult to make work. During the
times at home and work, events conspire to delay the cruise.
Last week would have been perfect sailing from St. Marks, FL to points
south but I delayed because I really wanted to be in the annual
"Frostbite Regatta" which is a local dinghy sailing race and I wanted
to enter my two MiniCups with myself and son. Instead, he broke his
wrist skateboarding, AHHHHHHHHHHH crap.
THEN, to make it worse, I found a pot pipe under his dresser.
Fortunately, I think he has had no opportunity to smoke it since he was
busted at school just before Christmas vacation. However, I am so
****ed that I may just push him overboard when we are sailing and claim
it was an accident (you all know about this so now I cannot do
it)because him and I were to sail together because he was kicked out of
school for getting busted.
Him and I were supposed to leave St. Marks tomorrow morn at 4:00 am
because he was supposed to finish his school exams (he is 14) today but
instead, he still has one more and we have now made arrangements to get
a urine pot test tomorrow so we cannot leave till Wed. morn. I really
think having him with me sailing will be a good thing. It has aspects
of punishment ( days of being on a small boat with his uncool scientist
nerd father will be hell for Mr social butterfly)and I will make sure
he learns some trig and geometry by doing navigation. He will also
have no way to be near a phone or computer (It is really difficult to
insure NO access to these at home).
Being kicked out of school for the next six months may be a good thing
if I can sort of "home school" him to keep him away from the pervasive
drug atmosphere at his school. It might also get some of the desire to
"look good" in front of people out of his system. Somehow, he has this
weird magnetism that draws other people and the attention of girls to
him. Since I have never had ANY social skills, this is bizarre to me
and we really do not understand each other (although I really do think
I am his dad). Fortunately, my work life is very flexible (very small,
very high tech business owner) that he can go to work with me and study
from online lessons I download and he can also get some mechanical and
electronic skills by working on equipment.
I'd like to just take off a few months but I get too excited about work
and cannot bear to leave it for long. When I come back after a couple
days, its like Christmas with so much cool stuff to do. Leaving the
other two kids with my wife would also not be fair since she works part
time so I am somewhat committed to this part time cruising thing but I
just have to spend more time at it.
ANYWAY, I hope to leave again on Wed morn.

I did get my boats name painted on the stern so I am no longer "The
unidentified sailboat" on VHF.

David

"Ragtime"