Wet and Dry

This was a day that started in rain, cleared up into gusty sunshine, moved through to lowering cloud, thunder, lightning and drenching hail and gave rainbows at sunset. The Lake mirrored this dynamism with a stiff breeze and chop in the morning for the trainees to zoom around a short triangle course and practice race starts.

As the waves increased over lunch and wind reaped their tops in swathes only three of us felt the urge to go out, making up a tiny laser fleet of the two best sailors in the club and me. Well, I thought I can only be blown over so many times. Nor was I wrong. The first leg was tremendously exciting with the wind behind and the sails straining to the side and spray spurting from the prows. I was keeping up! But gybing around the first buoy proved that optimism won’t keep you upright. The wind now coming from the side pushed ferociously alternately heeling the boat until the boom touched the water and then suddenly ceasing, threatening tip the other way. A few capsizes later, which included one where the wind caught hold of the boat and pivoted it in a complete somersault over my head – leaving me snorting water and thinking, now, that’s never happened before – I gave up - much to the relief to the rescue crew and those on shore.

My poor boat, by then a turtle, had its mast firmly stuck in the bottom mud and was going nowhere. I felt a bit more justified when I found that the other two had also capsized before they finished the race. Neil went out again to right my boat and sail it back. Even he had to fight every inch of the way to keep it upright and, having found out for myself how impossible it was, I could only stand there watching in awe at his skill, strength and tenacity.

Showered dry and warm inside with tea and cake the outdoor arena remained dramatic with lightning flashing through the descending cloud surrounding grey Skiddaw and claps of thunder applauding the hail that flickered across the whole water surface in sinuous streaks of cold fire.
 
The surprise of a rainbow on the way home summed up a day full of action and wonder. Amazing!