Our Jonah Impersonation 

   We sailed for maybe three minutes, my cousin Allan and me. The largest lake in Pennsylvania was only 13 miles from home, and we aimed to become sailors. 

   Our sailboat came in a box, some assembly required. Right. The instructions said "a woman can put it together in 30 minutes." Of course, they didn't supply the woman. 

   We were well into our second hour on our front porch,  when our dads showed up and snickered about the 30-minutes. 

   Actually, it was a foldable canoe with a plywood skeleton and a board in the middle, into which goes the mast, and keels hanging over either end of that. 

  Growing Up, No. 8

   We didn't paddle the canoe on our maiden voyage. Oh no. We went straight for the sailboat adventure. 

   Choosing a beach about 100 yards from the dam, the deepest part of the lake, we pushed off, me holding the sail parallel with the canoe, and Allan using the rudder. Within a couple minutes the wind was tipping us to the right. While I held the sail tight, I yelled for him to turn the rudder, turn us into the wind. 

   Oh, did I forget to mention that we had life jackets in the boat, but not on? 

   So we held on to our preservers and Allan somehow got a grip on the sail which had separated from the boat. Then came a fisherman to see if we needed help. Duh! We asked him to tow our water-filled canoe to shore, thinking he would come back for us. 

   We couldn't swim with arms full, so we inched toward the dam, our only option. The road across the dam soon was full of drivers who stopped to watch us drown. I estimated we were in the lake for about half an hour.

Mark 4:39 - He got up, rebuked the wind, and...

   We could have used his help that day. But, he let me learn, first, you can't don a life jacket after you're already in the drink. Holding our jackets did save our lives. And second, when the wind blows from the side, you let out the sail as far as necessary. A few years later I bought a real sailboat, a sloop, and successfully sailed it on Lake Erie. Allan sailed with me on one of those outings. I should ask him why he trusted me with his life a second time.  

            Jimmy