by Skipper Mary
First published in Mainsheet.
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What happens when a gear hog who likes to sail chartered 40+ footers shows up to go sailing with a minimalist who owns a fairly Spartan C-26? Well, the minimalist helps the gear hog unload the stuff from her car. Up and down the dock we went and, when the gear hog said that was the last of it, I stood looking at the cockpit wondering where all of it was going to go.
She had even brought her own cooler stuffed with adult beverages. I knew we could find a place for that. As for the other stuff, my territory is the quarterberth, a.k.a. The Swamp, so that was off-limits. Which meant we stuffed my friend’s REI store into the main cabin and bow.
And that was fine as I’ve been in training with another gear hog. Early in our relationship, Jeff couldn’t believe I didn’t have technical socks. (I do now.)
As the ’09 season ended, my gear hog buddy and I were already making plans to sail this coming summer. In one phone conversation she even offered to “not bring so much stuff.”
Cool. But don’t forget the cooler.