The Arrr!!!: May 2004 Archives

I haven't been on the Arr!! for two years, and I fervently hope I will never have to be on it again. The Arr!! is a Canadian built Bayfield sailboat. It seems to me that it is about 32 feet long, and roughly 21 years old. It is my husband's pride and joy, and each year I become a boat widow for the weekends between May 15 and October 15.

Chicago has a limited boating season. Only the really hardy, or the truly addicted, sail earlier or later than those dates, but it can be done. Lake Michigan can be exceedingly choppy in early spring and late fall. Because the winds are stronger then, you can get more speed out of your boat, but you also have to have a cast iron stomach to deal with the chop.

The Arr!! disappeared down the drive a few minutes ago. I am officially a boat widow for the next five months.

Yesterday I was having a dreadful day in the office. The phone rang constantly, interrupting all I was trying to wade through, and the fax machine kept spewing paper at me. My sister called to say that she could get away earlier than she thought....could she come to dinner after all?

In the midst of all this, I get another call, and it's Dear Husband, who is outside, working on the boat. He was having the kind of crisis that would leave me wringing my hands and fretting in a major way, but he calmly asked if I had a moment to help him.

This coming Saturday, my husband will again make me a boat widow. The ARR!! will be banded into the Chicago river and will motor it's way up river to sailing freedom.

This year, my niece and her husband will be making the trip with Dear Husband, and Sister #1 is also going to go! Despite the fact that he'll never get me on that damned boat again, I hope for them that the weather is exceptional so they have a good time.

DH was at Strictly Sail in Chicago this winter and found a catering company that specializes in catering for boaters. It must have caught his fancy, because he bought home a laminated menu attached to a floating key chain holder. The boat could go down, but the menu will survive!

He's actually ordered a meal for the first excursion. I'll miss the meal, but I won't miss the trip. Nothing he could do would entice me back on that damned boat!

This is the menu for the day:

Tuna Nicoise Stuffed Baguette
Antipasto Stuffed Focaccia
Beef Tenderloin, Parmesan, Arrugula on a Ciabatta Role with Balsamic Dressing
Farfalle Pasta with Olives, Roast Tomatoes, Asparagus and Black Pepper Vinagrette
Kettle Chips (seems mundane after the last four entries)
Cookies
Virgin Mary Mix (add your own Vodka)

Now, if you should sail with DH in the future, you'll be lucky to get a sandwich from the deli and a bottle of water, but the trip up the river he does with class! Sign up to the right--------->