Taking a New Tack

...

On Saturday, Robb and I went out for an afternoon bike ride. There was an astonishing volume of traffic on the freeway, so we drove "overland" to where we planned to park. Part of this drive took us along the shoreline service road that parallels the freeway, and offers a fantastic view of the San Francisco Bay and the Bay Trail. We both spotted someone zooming along using a hand-cycle, and wondered if we knew them. When we were unloading our bikes, I kept half an eye out for the hand-cyclist, and sure enough, it was Kristi, who is the president of the board of BORP, the organization that we're raising money for. (See the right margin of the blog for more information.)

Kristi pulled into the parking lot, and we got chatting, and at the end of the conversation, she invited us sailing.




Robb and I had been out sailing once since his accident with the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors. Robb was newly injured and wearing a full-torso brace, that we may have been being a bit foolhardy going sailing. For whatever reason, we talked about going sailing again, but never did.

This time we were more prepared for the experience. Robb realized, almost immediately, that if he sat on the low-side of the boat, he could be in the reclining position that best suits his back.




You cannot imagine how wonderful this afternoon was. Kristi, who uses a wheelchair since a motorcycle accident sets such a great example for us. She's probably the sportiest person we know. Like Robb, Alex grew up sailing, and they had loads to talk about. I mostly just enjoyed the sun and the wind and the waves. I love sailing, but I don't know what I'm doing.




See that little gap between the Berkeley Fishing Pier on the left, and the ruins of the old railroad pier (that pre-dates the Bay Bridge) on the right? Robb steered us right through! It was a particularly high tide, and Kristi's boat sits high in the water. Still, it seemed a bit crazy to do this.

Of course, the only thing nicer than sailing is hanging out in the marina after sailing. While we were chatting, Greg, who runs the integrated cycling program for BORP, stopped by. He recently bought a fifty year old wooden racing boat and (like Kristi) is living on his boat, in the Berkeley Marina.

Kristi pointed out the amazing sea-life that lives under the docks at the marina. She calls it her garden, which I found utterly delightful.




What the heck is all this stuff? I certainly don't know. (Click on the photos for a larger view. You won't be disappointed.)




I've been in a real funk, lately. A day on the water did me a world of good. I hope that Robb doesn't regret going sailing. I know he'll be hurting, but I hope the fun was worth the price he'll be forced to pay.