Machinaw Island Sailing Adventure

We fancied ourselves
As sailors,
Able to handle a boat
And anything the weather
Might throw our way.
My friend had become
A representative
For a boat manufacturer
And had a new
Eighteen foot day sailor
Which he was anxious
To put to the test.
We decided to sail
From Cheboygan
Up to Mackinac Island,
Michigan
On its maiden voyage,
A distance
Of roughly 20 miles.
In calm weather,
It would have been
An easy trip,
But shortly after we
Exited the harbor
We were hit
By a fierce sudden gale
Which roared through
The Straits of Mackinac.
To avoid being
Washed overboard
We tied ourselves
To the boat
With our belts
And kept going
Through wind, rain
And pounding wave.
Off Bois Blanc Island
We blazed past four boats
Impaled on the rocks
By the storm,
Two of which were
Coast Guard rescue boats
Somewhat down on their luck
And in need of
Rescue themselves.
We opted not to play hero
And run the chance of
Adding our boat
To the collection,
So we kept on sailing.
We slipped into the harbor
And quickly dropped sail
As if the raging storm
Was nothing at all,
Cocky as if we really knew
Exactly what we were doing,
Looking professional as hell.
The truth was
If the wind had been blowing
At a slightly different angle,
Or the island had not been blocking
The full force of the gale,
We would never
Have been able to dock
As we did.
As it was,
We ran the gauntlet,
Testing every ounce of reserve,
Skill, confidence and faith we had,
And lived to tell about it.
Many would not have been
Nearly so fortunate
Nor so foolhardy!
The little boat
Passed its test
With flying colors
And so did we.