The Sunfish on Clear Lake

The gentle rocking of the sailboat put me in a trance. When I realized what was about to happen I was startled from the trance. I clung tightly to the daggerboard of the red and white sailed sunfish. I raised the daggerboard while slightly looking at the pebbles on the bottom of the lake. The clear waters of Clear Lake looked back at me. I saw the gritty sand on the bottom of the lake. The water began to change and rough waves splashed against the boat as the water got darker. The bottom of the lake was no longer visible. The rays of the sun beat down on me. Warming up my blue lifejacket. The sailboat swayed in the faint breeze, speeding up as the helsman moved the tiller so the sailboat was on a close reach. The wind moved my hair around my face and chilled me from the top of my head to the very tips of my toes. I dropped the daggerboard and took a deep breath. I looked back to the sandy shore and saw our instructor wave her hands and tell us to stop. My gaze shifted to the red roofed dining hall. The flag pole and the yellow rope that fenced in the swimming area. I watched as the helsman moved the tiller so we were directly facing the wind. As the sail began luffing from the leech to the luff, I moved to the same side of the boat that my instructor and my companion were on. We rocked the boat back and forth. Once, twice, three times. The boat tipped over as we plunged into the icy cold water, our hands to grasping the side of the boat.

I got this photo from:

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95721592@N00/9405115048">Betsy Catching The Wind</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)</a>