Sunday, September 28, 2014

BAD Brownsville Appreciation Day 2014

Brownsville Appreciation Day (BAD) is an event put on by the Port of Brownsville as a fundraiser for their local school and also a way for the Port to give back to the community that supports them. It also acts as a great event that raises awareness about all the activities that go on at this great little port. As is often the case, BAD brings a day of beautiful weather intersecting the rainy days of late September.


Check out the booth babe we got this year! Yeah, that's my wife, so I'm a little biased. She did an excellent job pretending to know about sailing and boating. She learned just to smile, nod, and get excited about stuff at key moments. Like me, she knows enough about our club and our boats to dispense some knowledge, so it wasn't all made up. It paid off well because she handed out some club membership forms and got a boat and an outboard donated to the club. What a lady!


Our booth and sailboat was ready to go by 11:00 am, a whole hour early! Commodore Troy used that extra time to warm up and take my kids out for a quick lesson. Each got some tiller time, and I'm sure Troy got some interesting conversation.


Once people saw a sailboat in the bay they were already starting to make their way down to the dock by 11:30 for their free rides. Chris showed up about the same time and we were able to rig another C-Lark for action. Two boats is always better than one!


By 2 o'clock we had a steady stream of guests going for rides all the way until we shut down just after 4pm. We had families, kids, parents and grandparents from all over kitsap getting rides. Some were veteran sailors that had never been in such a small boat, experiencing the thrill of weight induced heel. Others had never been on a sailboat at all and just loved the calming peace and quiet while zipping past the marina. I think I enjoy the kids the most, especially because I make them part of my crew. Whenever somebody gets in with me, I automatically give them the jib sheets so they can help me sail. The kids are usually fascinated by the fact that they are allowed to control the boat with me.


Overall it was a great event, and I can't think of a better activity for me to give back to the Port and the community than with sailing. I might enjoy taking strangers for rides more than they enjoy the ride. I can't wait for next year!ds