Don't Give Up The Ship!

  My buddy brought is boat along for our mini vacation
at a small resort along Seneca Lake.
   There are some things you should know about his
vessel and that lake just in case you're even thinking
about a cruise of your own.
    The boat is about 18 feet long.
    The lake is 40 miles long.
    The boat is about 5 to 6 feet wide.
    The lake is about 2 miles across.
    The boat holds up to 7 people.
    The lake is up to 800 feet deep and can hold as many
boats as you can sink there!
     These thoughts crossed my mind as we launched
his boat on that lake with winds of between 10 and 14
miles per hour blowing across the surface.
     We figured his 4 cylinder engine would enable us
to shoot right through the waves that waited for us to
begin our sailing venture.
     We had not planned for the engine to stall out
just as those winds and waves began to carry us out
into those deep, deep waters!
     A true sailor...my friend nursed the engine back to
life several times until, at last, it seemed ready to take
on the lake.
     Now let's talk about "white caps!"
     They are signs that waves have formed in the lake
such as you might expect to see in the ocean. But this
was not the ocean. This was a lake and it's waters, no
matter how deep, are suppose to be smooth and calm!
     Plowing through them proved to be a task something
like riding a roller coaster whose tracks had just been
ripped apart by an earthquake.
     For just a moment I pictured myself on most any
Pennsylvania highway with pot holes separated by
speed bumps!
     Heading away from our launch point put the wind
and river at our back which, of course, took us away
from our vehicle and trailer. It did, however, sail us
to some friends waiting for a ride at the dock in front
of our resort.
     As we staggered onto that dock we suggested that
a wait might be in order before be tackled Seneca
again!
      As fortune would have it the wind and waves died
down later that afternoon and we enjoyed the cruise we
had been hoping for all day.
     We found another launching dock and were able to
steer our sturdy craft there until we could bring our
truck and trailer to it to be retrieved.
      It wasn't till after the boat was safely out of the
water and onto its trailer that I fell out!
      Seems the boat is a lot higher when it's up on
its trailer and.....like they say.....that first step is
a whopper!  Hey...it's better than going over in 800
feet of water....right!? I was able to land on
my feet so all was well with the world and the
lake.
     Hope you're keeping your head above water
and that all your NEWS is good!