If I was to organize such a lovely club today, I would call it the Senior Sailing Club; not the Retired Sailors Club --because retirement from gainful employment is not a requirement of membership, only the ability and desire to lunch, sail and drink with like minded friendly people, weather permitting, on Wednesday afternoons. Or perhaps I'd name it the Old Salts, because its members tend to be older. This Club, however, was given its name before I became available to participate; so when I joined ( i.e., started to show up) I became an Old Fart.
The clubhouse restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and opens on Wednesdays at noon. Our meetings are supposed to begin at that time, but a secret unwritten rule is that those who show up, tend to do so at 12:30.
Depending on the predicted weather, whether their boats need work and other commitments, anywhere from zero to 18 people may show up on any given Wednesday. Another unwritten custom of the OFs is that it is not considered cool to tell other members whether you are coming or not; you just show up at around the right time on the right day. And, oh yes, some members show up, partake of the delicious soups, sandwiches and salads that our Chef, Rutilio, whips up, and then decline to sail.
As lunch is ending, by a show of hands, we learn how many of those present actually intend to sail. It takes very few minutes to decide who is sailing in whose boat. Many of us are incapable of sailing our boats solo, and solo sailing would defeat the social purpose of the OFs. About three to five persons per boat is how we sail.
Each boat gets underway when it can, often in the same direction, but not always. Our racing, if we find that we are indeed going in the same direction, would be considered absurd to a dedicated racer. Sailboat races have designated starting times, designated starting lines and the rules require each boat to sail the same course, to go around a designated "mark" and return to a finish line, with times recorded, handicaps calculated and winners declared. According to another of the unwritten OF racing rules, there is none of this. Rather, when the boat that is furthest away from our mooring field and hence "in the lead" chooses, it turns back, and when the others notice this, they too turn back. So the boat that was in the lead is now the last place. Oh yes, another unwritten custom: though we all have VHF radios, they are not to be used.
Back on our moorings after securing our boats, we congregate on a larger boat, enjoy a G&T or soft drink, maybe some nibbles if anyone brought them and socialize for a while. Any sailor who has any other commitment or desire may excuse him or herself from the après-sail refreshment portion of the meeting.
What with returning from the Caribbean late this Spring and other travel, I have been to only one OF meeting so far this summer. I sailed with Al on his "Cappuccino"
and Tony, who like me, sailed with Al rather than on his own boat, "Still Crazy".
Cappuccino is a beautiful Hans Christian 40. I call it an art deco boat because all of its lines are curves, including those of its small snug cockpit. Only one other boat sailed this week, Easy Living, a Catalina 30, with Morty and Clara joined by Past Commodores Erwin and Bryan. The après was on ILENE, during which a can of peanut brittle made of Georgia peanuts, acquired in Savannah during the adventure, helped ruin everyone's dinner appetite -- not the usual accompaniment for G&Ts.
I cannot think of a more pleasant way to enjoy a summer afternoon.
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