June 2007 Trip Review: Saturday

The June expedition started normally enough. The team consisted of Jason, Amy, Jonathan, Marty, and myself. Amy, Jonathan, and Marty were first-time windsurfers. Welcome to the sport, guys. Jason and I are veterans, but only by our own very low standards.

The ride down was mostly uneventful. Except perhaps for the mystery of the flying frog. Amy and Jason tried to sleep a bit to make up for the 3 hours of sleep they got. Apparently they drove to Dallas to see a concert on Friday. The first thing Jason said to me that morning was "You're going to be so mad at us." I guess because they forgot to invite me.

We stopped for lunch on the island (I can't say where, we took a vow of secrecy) before cruising down to Worldwinds. The weather looked sad at this point, rainy and calm. But we're troopers, we don't just give up. Well, not today.

After finishing lunch at Worldwinds, Amy and Jason passed out in the Jetta while the rest of us watched windsurfing videos and waited for the weather to clear up. There was talk of giving up for the day (mutiny!), but we held things together until Don and Olivier gave the green light.

Jonathan and Marty started their beginner lesson -- their first hit. I rented a F2 Stoke 155 and a 5.3 meter sail. Each of us donned attractive wetsuit tops to dull the cool wind. Amy and Jason continued to recover from their concert the night before. Jason claimed that he would only sleep for a little bit longer, but I didn't believe him.

After an hour or two, Jason surprised me and joined us on the water. Now I know to believe. The man is made of stern stuff. Amy opted to read her book and hope for more inviting weather Sunday. She also kindly shot photos of us on the water.

Hours past. I think Jonathan gets voted king beginner windsurfer of the universe. He managed to return to Worldwinds without walking. He tacked all the way back, just like a champion.

We checked into our hotels and started the process of desalinization. Jason somehow got the shower slot before mine and spent 3 hours in there. He eventually popped out, announcing proudly that he had shaved his chest. This became the fallback joke of the trip. When in doubt just chide Jason.

For dinner, we hit the Waterstreet Seafood Co. Actually, first we went to the Waterstreet Oyster Bar. We decided there that the line was too long, so we got reservations at the Seafood Company.

We then suffered the delusion that the Oyster Bar was cheaper. Cheaper means better, so Jonathan left to get reservations there. While he was away we had a debate about the relative cheapness of the two restaurants. Careful weighing of the evidence let us conclude that the prices were identical just as Jonathan emerged with an Oyster reservation.

We immediately applied our new knowledge and sent Jonathan back to cancel the reservation. Our confusion worked out perfectly. Jonathan walked out of the Oyster Bar and lo! the Seafood Co. beeper beckons us to our table. We successfully distracted ourselves from our gnawing hunger. Teamwork!

After dinner, we drank beer and listened to some music on the Executive Surf Club patio. We then migrated to Cassidy's Irish pub to end the night with a round of tasty beverages and traditional Irish music.