Sailor Home From the Sea... er... Lake

I am back home in central Michigan after attending the Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. HPCC is a week-long gathering of small boat sailors from across the United States and Canada. Sailing, socializing, sailing, seminars, sailing, presentations, sailing, catching up with old friends, sailing, meeting new friends, sailing, boat-building demonstrations and sailing. Did I mention the sailing? The weather was great and the scenery is spectacular - you cross over and sail under the London Bridge.

Two events will forever mark my first HPCC in my memory: an unfortunate incident shortly after the start of the Rudder Craft Long Distance Race on the Tuesday. I made an error in judgment, failed to correct it and, as a result, T-boned a gorgeous home-built Ebihen 15. The owner was upset - rightly so - and I felt terrible about the damage to his boat but after speaking with him (he was very gracious) I was able to relax a bit .

The highlight of the week for me was being able to help build a Sherpa dinghy which was donated to the Sea Scouts. The Sherpa is a John Welsford design and its structure is similar to that of the Pathfinder.







Being able to work on the project was very educational and inspirational for me. I came home highly motivated to continue my work on Gardens of Fenwick.