Page 79 of Sail Away with Me

He kissed her hard as he spun her around.

“I’m so proud of you.”

“I haven’t won yet.”

“You’ve won here,” she said as she placed her hand over his heart. It may have sounded cheesy, but she meant it. He’d set out to do something and was on the path to success.

Sail held her hand as he went to see him mom. He gave her a one arm hug, seemingly not ready to let Galvin go yet.

“Great job, Sail.”

“Thanks, Mom. I still have more races, so we’ll see.”

“You’re going to do amazing.”

Sail nodded and then looked at Galvin, who rested her hand on his chest. “What did you think of your first regatta?”

“It’s very interesting, but definitely something I’m looking forward to attending again.”

“Tomorrow,” Sail said, smiling. “I gotta do it all over again tomorrow.”

“And he’s going to win,” Jack said, and he razzed Sail. Everyone laughed and cheered.

Crew and Tidal took off with their friends while Dune, Sail, and Jack helped pick up the area, carrying the chairs, cooler and bags back to the diner.

“We’ll be eating in,” Jack told Penny as they made their way to the biggest table in the diner. Thankfully, it was open, but something told Galvin Jack had made sure of it.

Penny brought menus but Jack said they were celebrating and having ice cream. She took everyone’s orders and brought drinks back right away.

Jack raised his glass. “To Sail, watching you out there on the water, doing what you once loved brought a lot of joy to me?—”

“Me, too,” Pearl interrupted.

“Hell, me three,” Dune said, and everyone at the table laughed.

“Well, shit,” Sail added as he held his glass up. “Me, four!”

sail

. . .

The morning broke with an eerie stillness. The harbor, cradled between two islands, lay shrouded in a mist that hovered above the water like a breath held too long. Sail Carter stood at the edge of the stone wall, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the first glimmer of sun threatened to burn away the fog. The air was cool and damp, charged with the promise of wind.

The fleet of ILCA 7 sailboats bobbed gently at their moorings, their white sails neatly furled, waiting for the day’s action. A cool breeze brushed against his face as he surveyed the scene. Today was the final day of the regatta, and the grand prize was within reach. He’d done everything he could to position himself to win.

Sail turned and walked through the park and to the marina where the check-in tent was. He was early but couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Later, his family will be in the park, ready to cheer him on.

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Each morning starts with a briefing, followed by a boat check, and the fun begins. The first day of competition, Sail finished in first place in his five races. Same results on the second day, but the weather on the third day proved to be a bit of a challenge and intwo of his five races, he finished second. Still, his placement and qualifying times were enough to put him in the gold fleet for the final competition.

Sail was neck and neck with the current national champion, Lex Danke. They’d gone head-to-head in two races, each earning a victory. Due to the scores, Lex and Sail would race twice this morning. Unless they both won a race. If they were still tied after two, a third would determine the winner. Sail had zero intention of racing a third time.

“Are you ready to race the wind?”

Sail paused when he heard the voice call out. He walked toward the man, with no familiarity of who he was. “I’m Sail Carter,” he said as he held his hand out.

“Nathan Pierce,” he said, giving Sail a firm handshake. “Retired ILCA 7 racer, former national champion, and now announcer. I’ve had a lot of fun announcing your races these past few days.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. When did you race?”

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