Thursday, August 2, 2007

LAUNCH: The Sea Clamp rows!



After two months of sawing, gluing, steaming, measuring, painting, swearing and one test float, the Sea Clamp set sail (row) on Lake Nokomis on Sunday, July 29, 2007--a special day since it was also Kristen's birthday! It was a busy weekend with final paint coats on Friday, birthday party prep and buying of life jackets off of Craig's List on Saturday, but all-in-all when Sunday arrived we were prepared for a beautiful, relaxing day of sun and water. It went something like this:

9:45 am: Peel stencil of letters off boat to reveal precise painted letters proclaiming the boat’s name

10:00 am: Load lifejackets, oars, cooler, and boat into/onto car, drive to Mel-o-Glaze to get donut holes.

10:30 am: Arrive at Lake Nokomis in perfect sunny hot weather, unload stuff, set up drinks cooler with orange juice, lemonade, champagne, and plastic champagne flutes.

11:15 am: People start to arrive.

11:30 am: Critical mass assembled. We open a bottle of champagne, give our thank yous to folks that helped us, put on life jackets and sailed off into the water!!!!! The Sea Clamp floated like a beauty. We had a bit of trouble with the oars due to mis-matched oar locks and a clamping problem, but for the most part, we had total success out on the water.

11:45 am - 2 pm: People take turns taking out the Sea Clamp. Chris sailed his skiff, we drink mimosas on the beach, take pictures, go swimming, take mini naps, get super sunburned (Bryan).

2:00 pm: Load stuff into the car.
2:05 pm: Kristen and Susy have conversation with a man on the beach that love The Sea Clamp but doesn't believe that it was built by two women.
2:15 pm: Car doesn't start (argh). We leave Sea Clamp on car at lake and pile into Bryan's wagon.
2:30 pm: Go to Sea Salt for fishy eats and beers and sleepiness in the shady sun of Minnehaha Falls.
5:30 pm: Go see the Simpson’s movie at Block E. Revel in extreme air conditioning.
7:30 pm: Back to Nokomis and other places to rescue broken cars (both Sarah's and Kristen's!).
8:30 pm: Eat leftover birthday cake and icecream at Kristen’s while watching part of a pirate movie from 1935.
9:45 pm: Go home feeling sun-tired, water-logged, and drowsy with happiness!