Home » Crimson's Creative Challenge » Footloose – Crimson’s Creative Challenge #36

Footloose – Crimson’s Creative Challenge #36

Posted on by

A challenge issued by Crispina. Could not resist this one! Thought of my dad right away.

Footloose

For as long as I could remember there were sailing magazines all over the house: bathroom, living room table, Dad’s nightstand:  Cruising World, Boating World, Yachting, Sailing World. He was obsessed and vowed he would one day own a sailboat.

In 1987, he finally realised his dream.  A 32-foot blue-trimmed Bayfield with bowsprit, he named Footloose. She was delivered to Lake Champlain where, for over ten years, we learned how to play with the sails, the wind, the motor – coz let’s face it, sometimes there is just no wind to be had.

Nothing beat sitting on the end of the bowsprit, ripping through the water, the waves causing a wild ride making the bowsprit slap the water. It was exhilarating.

He never did make it to the ocean, and it was a sad day when he had to sell her, but the memories will forever reside in all of our hearts.

Word count: 150

Having just moved, my pictures are all over the place. That I managed to find these is rather amazing. I know I have pictures of Footloose taken from the dinghy but… where are they?

Official naming
Lines
Winch
Captain Dad & Iain
Pic found on the Internet

 

85 thoughts on “Footloose – Crimson’s Creative Challenge #36”

  3. Dear Dale,

    As with all your memory pieces, you’ve taken this reader there…feeling the elation your dad must’ve had realizing his dream boat ;). I felt the sorrow of having to let it go. Well done.

    Shalom and lotsa hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 1 person

  5. What I great memory; thanks for sharing. I have always wanted to learn how to sail; perhaps something to pick up when I retire. And thanks for making me aware of Crispina! (P.S. – had to look up what a bowsprit was 🙂 )

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Q,

    For those who’ve got the sea legs to kick up the waves with the great big blue, this was a fantastic rendering! I’m always so impressed with how you can grab a memory and tuck it into these challenges and make it seem as if yours is the prototype for which all others should attempt to resemble. Brava and java and both!

    From bow to stern, you ain’t just doing this challenge. You’re making it your own. Sail on, maiden of the waters . . . sail on!

    B

    Liked by 1 person

    • B,

      Thank you, Matey! I am so very glad you enjoyed my little remembery 😉 Sometimes I see a pic and know exactly what I want to write. Other times… meh.

      From port to starboard, I thank you for you wonderful words.

      Q

      Liked by 1 person

        • Good ‘un, eh?

          Well, since you said from to back, it just stands to reason I add side to side 😉

          Land lubber not a friend of the water, eh? I must admit I’m rusty when it comes to the sea worthy terminology. I imagine it would come back, though.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Kewl.

            LOL!! Now you can add two more terms to your repertoire.

            I hear ya. But the wind in your hair, the cut of the boat through the water… such a rush…

            Liked by 1 person

          • Got one!

            I would rather tussle with the sharks, truth be told. In fact, that’s what I did when we went snorkeling forty minutes off the coast of Maui. First chance I got, I jumped into the water and stayed there until it was time to ride back.

            Liked by 1 person

          • You got three!

            Oh come on! Mind you, Maui is a right proper place to snorkel, I’ll give you that. Got a fabulous picture of a turtle whilst doing so…

            Liked by 1 person

          • I’m not afraid of sharks. Motion sickness is a whole nother mother. I dig being in the water and am willing to take the risks. Really, the only scary thing about the shore is the undertow, which I’ve been intimate with a few times. THAT is frightening.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Sharks won’t attack just for the hell of it. Well, rarely, anyway. Mick went diving with the sharks… Impressed me on our first date that never ended with a VHS video of it 😉
            Motion sickness does blow, from what I hear. They have great little bracelets that help.
            And I almost drowned in Mexico thanks to the undertow – so I have become a sissy in the ocean. Will only go as far as my waist now… It was terrifying.

            Liked by 1 person

          • I wouldn’t go diving with them, but you’re right, they ain’t interested in socializing with humans in the least.

            They wouldn’t help me. My mind is too strong, it doesn’t believe in the sugar pills.

            It’s scary as hell. I’ve been swept up in it several times. After the first couple, I learned how to navigate.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Aw come on… Must be so cool… Yeah. No. Me neither.

            Oh puh-leeze… You ain’t never given ’em a chance!

            It is. How best to navigate? Dive in, go low?

            Like

          • Buahahahaha! Ain’t about tempting their taste buds. It IS their nature to yanno . . be top of the food chain after all.

            Oh, I’m sorry . . is this the Truman Show? Or the real life reality of me where I’ve done Dramamine with zero results? And really, that was enough for me.

            Nope, Just stick where you are and conserve energy. Then move left or right, doesn’t matter which side. The riptide is like a ten to fifteen foot wide panel, and as soon as you break from it, you feel the difference. Then swim in to shore.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Can’t say as I blame ya. I mean, they don’t necessarily actively search for snacks in the form of humans but if one should float by…

            Drugs are one thing, accupoint pressure another. But I get it. Why push it?

            That must be how we got out of it. It was amazing how far to the left from our entry point we ended up.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Closest I’ve come was a hammerhead shark that was swimming within a couple hundred feet of me. These asshole fishermen were trying to catch it- this was the ’70s, they were still allowed. I noticed a lot of commotion on the pier so I swam in and went up there to find them going after this mack truck of a shark. I was pissed on two counts. For one thing, leave it alone, it’s a glorious creature. For another . . umm . . a little heads up would’ve been nice! I was easy pickings out there, LOL

            I’ve never tried acu-pressure. But I would do that for maladies more than anything. I’ve heard it works well, with some peeps.

            Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s not a particularly wide panel but it floats so you float so you have to be patient and just keep committed to hard lefts or rights. Mind you, it’s like trying to cut a straight line with pinking shears.

            Liked by 1 person

          • That’s close enough for me! We were snorkeling in Florida and my niece shrieked through the tuba coz she spotted one – just a small sand shark and my sister swam away! Nice, mom…

            Yesh leave it alone and a heads up woulda been nice

            Well. It’s a thought. Should some fabulous creature try to entice you onto a boat…

            It was probably what we were doing. When my 6’4″ guy could finally touch the bottom, we were beyond relieved. Pinking shears… You kill me.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Buahahahaha! Yeah, ANY shark is A shark when you are in the water. If someone yelled paper mache shark, I’d probably swim to shore first, investigate second and then maybe go back in. Why take a chance?

            Bastids! I tell you what . . . Bunch of old fuckers smoking and cussing and not giving a flip to let a kid know what was swimming RIGHT in his general vicinity. I had never seen a hammer head that close, but when I was watching it from the pier, it was a thing of beauty. But I imagine a head on collision with the thing wouldn’t have gone well.

            I hate touching the bottom myself. Did from a very young age, which is why I swam out. I used to love swimming in lakes for this reason. When I was little my father took us to PA and we went out on a rowboat. We would get out halfway and I’d jump off and follow the boat. And so it began . . .

            Liked by 1 person

          • 😁 Indeed. Leave your child behind as bait as you swim away…

            Old schmucks! So not cool. They are the oddest looking creatures but I can see the beauty in their movements. From afar.

            Even when it’s sand? I can understand when it’s a muddy-bottomed lake where it oozes through your tows…ewwww! But, sand?

            Did not know you were a swimmer…

            Liked by 1 person

          • Buahahaha! Yeah . . the kid’ll give us a few minutes lead time!

            From afar. Because with the hammerhead, it’s not the bite you have to worry about. It’s the hit.

            Yeah, I never liked the bottom of the ocean. Which is why I would swim way out from the time I was old enough to swim.

            Yeah, swimming is a favorite thing. I swim as often as possible in the summer. Only been to the lake a couple times so far this year, but pool swimming works too.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Buahaha! Great parents, we are.

            I hear ya. That head butt would do ya in.

            So funny the things that disturb or bother us.

            Things we learn…I’ve never been a swimmer. I manage to do a few laps but am not particularly proficient.

            Liked by 1 person

          • It’s tough love. As in “tough” . . love, LOL.

            It would be like getting a head butt from Bruce Willis in one of those Die Hard movies. Dude seems to have learned the art of giving a head butt and yet, receiving no pain in the refund.

            Ain’t it?

            I measure my lung capacity by swimming. And it seems that all those years of stogies and smoking didn’t hurt my lungs, thank goodness.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Toughest!

            I’m always impressed how the butter seems to feel no pain but the buttee is knocked senseless.

            ‘Tis. Explains the shoulders, too.

            Weirdly, my lung capacity seems to have diminished. I find the water pressure really affects me. I’m thinking I need to work on that, too. Sigh. I’m falling apart.

            Liked by 1 person

          • That’s why they’re the butter, because the buttee is the pancake.

            I had scoliosis so swimming helped. Immensely.

            Swimming would definitely help you lots. Just lap it. Don’t worry about going under. Just working the muscles does wonders, since it’s no impact.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Ha ha ha!

            Voilà. And, when you need an alternative to running and if cycling becomes to dangerous, you can always use a pool.

            I have been doing so these past few days. Haven’t seen any improvement yet, but I think you’re right. Will do me a shitload of good. I think I have developed epicondylitis or tennis elbow in my right forearm because of my work – poor technique in pouring wine. Sounds stupid but I find myself holding the glasses up so I can see the lines and pouring from a height. I have just recently realised that is the cause. Working it in the water will help, of that I am sure.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Options are always good

            That is truth right there 🙂

            I only just realised it. Seemed like a good idea at the time rather than bend down to see. Since I’ve been doing this for a few months now, it stands to reason that the pain is starting now. Gotta nip it in the bud!

            Liked by 1 person

  16. MY mother’s adventures was in the car. Hit the road and see where we would end up. We didn’t see every stat, but we did visit all in the south and a couple north of us.
    I’ve followed her lead and have expanded the travels to eastern and northern states.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.