ask and ye shall receive...

...the hard part is figuring out what to ask for.

I asked for "boats" and lo, the boats have arrived!

Someone once told me "It takes about a year to meet friends when you move somewhere new." I've found that to be true in the past, and I'm seeing it happen again. I should have known that most people would have boats on this small island, but it never really became apparent until the past few weeks, when I finally got home, winter is gone, and everyone is talking boats. Here's what I got:

- Fulltime access to a 14-foot aluminum skiff with a 6-horse motor - just across the street. Perfect for fishing for salmon, rock-cod, ling-cod, and crabbing, on the kelp beds and around the smaller offshore islands.

- A buddy with a 34-foot yacht (sailboat), who also builds boats, and is excited to take me out on the water any time. I love sailing.

- Another buddy with a big motorboat (haven't seen it yet) and a cabin on a smaller island down the coast, who is happy to take me out fishing, or drop me off on an island for X days, any time.

My most exciting offer, and what I really asked for:

** A small one-man racing dinghy (sailboat), just across the street, that I can take out any time!

I learned to sail on a small dinghy about eight years ago, and did it for two summers. I haven't done it since, but it's burnt a little heart-shaped tattoo on my memory-sac (what?), and I am bitchin' itchin' to get back out there. I will still swim every day, but I fantasize about mastering the currents and the tides and winds in a little boat, surfing on the whitecaps with it, flipping it in big wind, and dealing with all the other fun shit that comes with being in a boat alone.