My neighbor was nice enough to drive me to the airport the night I left for the sailing trip. My flight left at 1am, so I had a few hours to work on the pre-reading for the course and just hang out. After a brief layover in Charlotte, North Carolina, I arrived in Tampa around 11:30am. I found out later that I could have taken a $25 shuttle to the B and B where I stayed in St. Petersburg, but in my sleep-deprived stupor, I just shuffled into a cab and shelled out the $50 fare plus a 20% tip that was about $10 more than the cabbie had earned. Diane, the lady running the B and B while her sister and brother-in-law, the owners, were away, showed me around the facility and oriented me to the area. I caught a few hours of sleep before walking to a restaurant overlooking the marina where the teaching boat is docked. Dinner set me back $25 and garnered awkward interactions with the server who seemed unsure how to handle a person eating alone. I decided I should eat dinner at Wendy's thenceforth (McDonalds and Burger King seem somehow less healthy). After this I was too tired to do much so I went back for an early bedtime. I set two alarm clocks, I was so excited about class the next day and nervous about sleeping in.
I woke up easily enough, showered, ate the breakfast Diane made, and went to the first classroom session. Gail, my classmate, had called in and was lost, so we waited to get started but eventually went on without her. We had covered most of the basic terminology when she showed up an hour and a half late. She had read the first part of the book and she was quite late, so Rob, the instructor, didn't spend much time catching her up. The classroom time was over soon thereafter and we walked to the marina. Since Gail was only wearing one layer, I let her borrow my sweater. Rob introduced us to the parts of the boat and the procedure for getting ready to head out. Under motor power, we exited the marina then raised sail out in Tampa Bay. We only used one of the two sails, and still we had quite a few moments where the boat was leaned way over by the wind. Winds of 15 knots (17mph) gusting to 25 knots (29 mph) were the speeds Rob estimated, which he said is almost too much for beginners. I loved it, though. There was constantly something to be done and you could
feel the wind and waves working on the boat. A little after 1, we arrived back at dock for lunch. Gail set out to find a jacket and I, with my desire to cut expenditures, skipped lunch, instead walking around and taking a few photos. During the afternoon sailing session, the wind was slightly more intense and the sun was farther down, making it colder. Gail had only found a light sweatshirt, intended more for fashion than warmth, so right when Rob started guiding us back in, Gail said she was freezing and wanted to go back in. Good timing, I suppose. After changing out of my goofy sailing clothes, I walked around downtown St. Petersburg looking for a cheap meal and found a pizza place with a harried worker who was going on about poor management and incompetent coworkers. After finishing my plate-sized slice of plain cheese, I set out to satisfy what had become an obsession. I found a Wendy's on my iPhone and had a pleasant 1.2 mile walk to top off my dinner with a Frosty. On the return trip, I saw a Subway near the marina and decided it was the best choice I had for lunches. Upon arriving at the B and B, I turned in for the night, exhausted after the day of new excitement and new muscle usage.
The next day, I was up bright and early, and Diane made stuffed French toast for breakfast. I was able to shoot off the
Sailing Course Day 1 Down post while eating. Gail again showed up late, but this time it was only half an hour. We did another few hours of classroom material then headed back to the boat. This time, Rob had us do some of the prep work. The wind had died down to 10-20 knots, so it was a pleasant late morning of sailing, despite not being nearly as exciting as the first day. For lunch, I went to the Subway I had discovered. Though it was only a few blocks, my feet were not happy with the new, unbroken-in shoes I was wearing without any socks. I was glad to get back to the boat and get off my feet. We learned man overboard maneuvers. It will take a good deal more experience before I can get a feel for bringing the boat to a stop right next to a bobbing crew member. For dinner, I bought an Italian classic sandwich from a nearby pizza place. It was a lot of delicious food, but my stomach protested most of the night. Maybe partly because of my GI revolt, I spent that night, and part of the morning, playing pool on my phone. It was nice to see that I can maintain my sleep-shirking habits miles from home. Speaking of which, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of the time stamp on this post, which I've been writing since the evening of 1/4.
The last day began like the others, this time with poached eggs for breakfast and a chat with a New Yorker and a German who had been staying in the other house of the B and B. Gail wasn't too late and we did the few hours of classroom material, much of which was provided solely for our future reference and we didn't practice it on the water. This time, Rob had us do everything and only made a few comments or suggestions. Gail's purpose for taking the class was more along the lines of helping out on others' boats and not taking charge herself, so I got to take command for most of our outing. The wind had died even more from the second class day, blowing no more than 15 knots and dying down by the end of our first water session to almost calm. The plan was for us to take the boat out without the instructor for the last water session. We had to motor back in to the marina at the end of the first session and upon regrouping after lunch (in which Subway again played a prominent role), the wind had not picked up at all, so we called off the last session. At that point, I was fine not having to deal with Gail's shaky sailing abilities while putting my own new-found sailing skills to the test. The previous night, I was discussing with Diane my plans to take a shuttle back to the airport and she said she could give me a ride since she was picking up her sister and brother-in-law, so with my ground transportation arranged, I had only to shower, pack, and eat. I stayed in and made a chicken sandwich, worked on a crossword, and met Diane's friend, Mike, who's a private yacht captain, while I waited for Diane to be ready so we could head to the airport. She got me there around 9pm, which, turns out, is after the American Airlines check in desk closed for the day. I was annoyed, because this meant I had to wait around for some indeterminate amount of time for the desk to open so I could check my bag and get into the secure area and get some sleep before my 6am flight. I ended up camping out across from the desk and caught just enough sleep for the desk to open and accumulate a line. I should have slept right in front of the desk.
By the time I woke up and got through the check in process, I needed to head over to my gate for a wait with a comfortable margin before boarding started. The return layover was in Dallas/Ft. Worth. I got off the plane in Dallas, made it over to the restroom right across from my next gate, and when I was all ready to get settled in for the layover, I checked my boarding pass and realized I had only a few minutes before boarding started. Talk about cutting it close! But I was glad to get the trip underway. My neighbor was extra nice enough to give me a ride back home from the airport when I got back to Denver. It was good to be home, and I look forward to building on my sailing experience when the reservoirs here thaw out.
On to the periodontal update. I went to the dentist today for a routine checkup and cleaning since my last one was about a year and a half ago. Along the way, it was noticed that the bone that surrounds my teeth is receding, making the gum sockets deeper and the bony sockets more shallow. The hygienist said a variety of factors have probably led to the initial problem, but the bacteria that are present in everyone's mouth can get into this deeper space between my gums and my teeth where I can't clean it out by flossing, making the issue worse. I've brushed regularly my whole life and have been flossing daily for several years but that's not quite cutting it, and the typical tooth cleaning procedure isn't sufficient, either. We forewent the tooth cleaning today and I was referred to a periodontist who will be able to do a deep cleaning, a procedure done under local anesthesia in several rounds, and give me information about the methods available to prevent more bone loss and to restore lost bone. The latter would involve surgery and I'm not a big fan of oral surgery after my two painful, bloody run-ins with it.
I was upset about the prospect of more oral procedures, but I went about my errands today and have been able to calm down and remind myself that my three-week bleeding episode three years ago won't be repeated because we now know how to prepare me for surgery. In any case, though, I realized a couple years ago that after what I've been through with my mouth, I can only handle pain and bleeding below the neck, so this is like my medical nightmare starting to be realized. Speaking of which, with my deep cleaning appointment on my mind, I had a dream that my teeth were all rotting and falling out, which helped nudge me along and make the appointment. Odd how life plays out. In addition to my negative feelings about the procedures and their aftereffects, I'm annoyed that I have to budget more money to taking care of my teeth.
On the positive side, with my strong aversion to losing my teeth, I may finally have the motivation I need to avoid sugary foods and stick to a better diet. I tried not to be too technical, but sorry if it was still too much information; I assimilate medical news by analyzing the facts about it. Time for bed. I'm doing a terrible job getting back to a normal sleeping schedule.
Scott
