The most outrageous thing at your sailing site

Several years ago I was giving windsurfing lessons at our local lake, Copan. A couple approached me about taking a lesson. What was unusual was the chromed steel chain that ran from the man's wrist to and around her waist. After a brief conversation detailing what we would be doing, the woman asked for permission to be unchained from her boy friend. He, pierced to the extent that it looked like he fell into a tackle box, nodded and unlocked the chain that held her. After the lesson I never saw them again.

They probably went swimming with the chain still attached.

Mike m/

I TOL you guys smoking that Mormon tea was a mistake!

Mike m/

Mine is previously reported here...

A big storm blew in and was scattering debris from shore out into the water. As I was coming in, a whole family of snakes had been blown out of a reed bed, and the little ones were struggling to swim back upwind into the reeds. I did not see them until the last second. Moma snake was swimming hard right along with the little ones, but she turns and makes a bee line and slithers up across my board just as I start to dismount

Two guys here in Corpus found a dead body while sailing. A bear would be surprising, too. I fear alligators more than sharks because a gator can chase you ashore and seems to be hunting you more than the happen-chance shark visit.

I can think of several really outrageous events, some not quite up to snuff for family reading like the time a 'heated' couple began sharing lunch at a not-so-inconspicuous picnic table.... We couldn't believe our eyes. Or the time one of my buddies made an obscene gesture with his tongue in the direction of a real babe walking away from us, only to have some church goers, who he didn't notice, watch him with wide-eyed appreciation.

Speaking of church-goers, we had a busload of Baptists show up one morning at the local park. Everything was cool until Barney, the local cop, arrived on the scene. You see, swimming, and even wading out in our lake is illegal at the parks due to lawsuits. Whenever someone wades out into the water, even if it is only knee deep, the whistle blows and that person is fussed at by the Barney. Windsurfing is allowed (which incidentally is the whole reason I learned to windsurf in 1989....I wanted to be able to swim out in the lake...but I digress..) So, here's Barney running around trying to decide whether or not to blow the whistle on a bunch of Baptists going at it in waist-deep water. That was pretty funny.

Alan (headin fer the hills this weekend)

A few years back at Buckroe the SW winds were blowing just barely offshore. A couple of us had been making runs out and back when we happened on an inflatable whale-float drifting away from the beach. This is the kind that if full like the animal and not flat like most floats. It had a couple of handle to which the rider could hold on to.

Robert and I altered our courses for an intercept. I dove off my moving rig and tackled the monster while Robert came by for the final grab. I lost my grip while Robert make the nab. He sailed it in to the beach as the young whale owners came running to take claim.

Throughout the day two more came across our paths. One more whale and a shark. I nabbed those and sailed them in to the beach. I became a game to see if I could pounce on them from a quickly-moving board.

Three in one day and I've never seen any more of them since. Not very outrageous but fun indeed.

This sounds like it could be a new event.

Sort of like bull-dogging. Remember the advertisement where a beer company turned golf into a contact sport with blocking and tackling allowed? Oh well, windsurfing soccer is about as cross-over as I've ever done, but I would not do it now from a Formula board, that's for sure. Poly's were good for something back then.

If Glenn could get really good at it, maybe we could have a Jetskier Bull Dogging Contest, or better yet, Kiters if they drift into windsurfing congestioned areas. Finally we might see more windsurfing on TV. Imagine the commercial where the beach goes hear the word shark and go running into the water to attack the shark. We could have windsurfers racing to bulldog all kinds of things.

CI

Glenn,

That does sound like fun. At a calf and some rope and we've got ourselves a windeo!

Or not.

Last summer, once in a while, my fin would clunk on something as I came into shore. I kept looking at low tide, but could find no rocks. Then, I found a small smashed up box on an oyster bar in that area. When I picked it up, some grey sand fell out, then a little water sogged piece of paper. I opened the paper up, and found that our fins had been hitting SOME GUY'S ASHES!!!! I guess they forgot to SPREAD the ashes at the memorial service. Cindy