  |
|
|
|
Attention, all sailors traveling into or through Wisconsin who will be trailing a boat at night: Put a light on the end of your mast!
I was sixteen, and headed to my first regatta without my parents. It was a great road trip, singing and chowing on chips as the miles just fell away and we were there before we knew it. We sailed and sailed and sailed some more, with a few parties thrown in here and there, and then it was time to head home When we had left for the regatta we left in the morning, a bright clear sunny day, with no worries about lights, flags or any such thing. I'd been going to regattas for a long time, and I knew all about tying your boat on the trailer, the mast tied on top of the hull, and a red cloth, our protest flag worked well, tied on the end of the long mast. We did all that, and secure in our knowledge of such things, we set out to go home. At night. One of my sailing buddies, who hailed from a town near my own decided to caravan with us, his boat tied down and protest flag in place much like ours. We did fine until we stopped for gas. We pulled into a stations, and all fueled up, before heading on inside to load up on chips and goodies and munchies for the rest of the ride home. As we trotted outside, our arms full of goodies, an uniformed police officer approached us. "Those your boats?" he stuck his thumb out at our scows, and we all nodded happily. "Yes they are, officer," my friend said merrily. Ready, I'm sure, to launch into some wonderful stories of the races we'd had the past weekend. "You need a light on 'em," the officer cut him off, and we all blinked. "A light?" I asked. "You mean on our trailers? We have lights on our trailers." "Naw." The officer walked to the end of my friend's boat and we all dutifully trailed along behind him. "Here," he pointed to the innocent protest flag hanging proudly from the end of the mast. "You can't just have a flag at night, you need a light." We all scratched our heads and looked at each other blankly. "We don't have a light, sire," my friend was telling him when it got better, "Needs to be red." "What???" We all chimed in on that one and the officer took a step back before regaining his composure and addressing us even more sternly. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Lights Needed in Wisconsin in Sailing is owned by Anne Schwab. Permission to republish Lights Needed in Wisconsin in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
