Hobie Cat Adventure

The East Coast of Florida,
Particularly down around Miami,
Is a spectacular place to sail.
The waters are warm,
Shallow and clear,
Offering an incredible topside view
Of the ocean floor.
My wife, Cecilia, and I
Invited a couple friends
Who had never sailed before
To join us for an afternoon
Of harbor play.
I rented a sixteen-foot Hobie Cat
For the occasion
From one of the many boat houses
Which dot the Florida coastline.
It is a craft ideally suited
For an introduction to sailing.
The Hobie Cat
Is little more than
A canvas deck
Stretched between two pontoons,
A rudder and a sail.
It doesn’t take much wind
To get the boat moving
At a breath taking clip,
Riding on one pontoon,
Tilting over at a precarious angle.
They’re extremely responsive
And easy to sail
The four of us spent the afternoon
Crisscrossing the bay
Enjoying the sun and the sea
With me at the helm.
I must have made it look easy
Because one of our guests
Wanted to try his hand at sailing,
But it probably wasn’t
More than 60 seconds
After I had turned
The tiller over to him
That he managed
To capsize the boat,
Unceremoniously tossing
Us all into the water.
Fortunately the bay
Was very shallow,
Only about shoulder deep,
And actually rather pleasant
Once we got over the shock
Over being in it
And not on it.
My friend and I stood up
While the two women panicked,
Screaming in unison
That they were drowning.
They were a comical sight,
Flailing about
In their orange life vests,
Creating this incredible racket
While we waited
For them to calm down
And try standing up
On their own two feet.
After we righted the boat,
Everyone insisted
I do the rest of the sailing.
I doubt if either friend
Has ever been sailing since,
Traumatized as they were
By their sudden bath.