Saturday, June 4, 2022
My husband, Tim, has had some pretty interesting adventures which fit under the categories: humorous, crazy, wild, insane… My next three blogs I want to dedicate to a 3-part saga: What could possibly go wrong. You read and decide for yourself which category this first one fits under…
Tim writes: I remember building a boat once – fiber glass over some plywood in the shape of a boat. It worked as a little bass boat, but talk about heavy – only 8ft long, and weighed over 150 lbs. Then there was my inflatable sailboat . . . Ok, it started out as a soft bottomed 12′ whitewater raft. I added a solid pine plywood floor, 2 bench seats, rudder, leeboard and 15′ mast with 110′ of sailcloth. Even painted all the wood battleship gray.
She was a beauty and needed a maiden voyage. Thus, I inflated, assembled and packed everything into and on top of my 1979 Datsun 210 (remember those? Great pizza delivery cars) and took off down the freeway with a 12ft inflatable whitewater raft strapped to the top of my 12ft car. Now, I had never been sailing in my life, but I had read a lot of books about it, studied the physics behind it, and spent months building my little converted raft. Not only had I actually never sailed but also had no friends who did any sailing. Out to Ala Wai Harbor I went, where the wind was blowing gently off shore (about 5-10mph winds). There I began my maiden voyage toward Diamond Head. Oddly enough, this is the same Harbor the SS Minnow departed from in the opening scene of Gilligan’s Island. (Can’t you hear the theme song for Gilligan’s Island floating through the wind right now – Mari’s addition!)
My little boat made very good time, approximately 2 knots, sailing for about an hour toward Diamond head (and passing it). But it was time to return to the harbor, so I turned around (wish I could remember those “fancy” nautical terms, but it’s been about 30+ years ago) and headed back. An hour later I was directly off Waikiki beach, about 1.5 miles to be exact. But no problem, I had read all about “tacking” (I remember that word very well), the art of sailing into a headwind by alternately sailing at 45-degree angles left and right of the wind. Of course, this was a Flat Bottom boat, and the “tacking” didn’t quite work as well as I thought it would.
After 45 min of going nowhere, well actually 1/2 mile further out, I decided it was time to row into shore. Now this boat was great for rowing, it was flat bottomed, had nice solid brass oarlocks, 2 8ft oars, and my vast experience (2 times rowing it on a calm lake) behind it. After an hour of continuous rowing, I took a reading off of Diamond Head. I was in the same spot I had been an hour ago! The wind was blowing out to sea at the same rate I was trying to row against it. Now I became worried. As I looked at my watch I knew I was going to be late for work (31 flavors ice cream shop in Kuhio shopping center).
Now I had never been late for work before, so the obvious peril to life and limb paled in comparison, I just didn’t want to be late for work. Thus, as the next boat passed by I completely humbled myself by waving/calling for help. They waved hello back! Ok that didn’t work and I was drifting further out. Time for a distress signal, prayer, “umm God, I really don’t want to be late for work, so if You could arrange for some help I’d sure appreciate it. . .”
As I sat there contemplating my situation, I decided that my whole problem was not a lack of experience, I had that now (at least bad experience), I needed more surface area below the water line, so I decided on a second leeboard, maybe a different color paint would help too (yes, logic was not quite at its best that day). I worked up the energy to start rowing again, so that I didn’t continue my sea bound voyage when another boat passed by. OK it wasn’t a boat; it was a submarine, run by Atlantis Submarine Tours out for a 3-hour tour (wait that’s my theme song, not theirs). Their diligent crew spotted me, and they changed course so they could get within earshot. “Are you OK?” they yelled to me.
I guess seeing an inflatable raft floating out among the shipping lanes is what gave my distress away, finally. “Uh . . . not really,” (hmm maybe I won’t be late for work after all). “I could really use a lift.”
One of their crew hopped into their little inflatable dinghy and motored over (hmm power, maybe that’s my answer?). He tied my bowline off and proceeded to tow me back to Ala Wai boat harbor. As I tied my rubber beast back on top of my little Datsun, quite grateful, I glanced at my watch. There was still 45 minutes to get to work and my uniform was already in the car.
“Thanks God,” I uttered heading down interstate H1, wondering how Hawaii can have an interstate freeway. But then again, it’s no crazier than a young college student strapping a bunch of sailcloth on an inflatable raft and hitting the open sea is it?
As I, Mari, read and edit this story, I am reminded of an amazing God who always sees and hears His children. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 55:16 says, “As for me, I will call upon God, and the LORD shall save me.” Then Psalm 116:2 I just love, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Imagine that, the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things inclines His ear to hear me. Wow. And those are just 3 or a myriad of verses on the subject.
Tim mentioned having experience in boating which gave him confidence to try his inflatable on the open seas, or at least in the Harbor. Perhaps he could have had more experience first, but you don’t learn without trying. When he then realized he was in trouble, he knew he could call upon His Savior to rescue him.
Calling upon the Lord and knowing we will be heard is a promise God makes to His children. In fact, Psalm 34:17 promises, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Righteous does not mean perfect. To be righteous is to be in a right relationship with God.
When we acknowledge our sins and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and we are cleansed of our sins and made righteous in Him. Our desires are no longer to do what we want, but to do His will and live in obedience to Him. We then can call upon Him at any time and He hears us.
Can you recall times when the Lord has rescued you from trouble?
Tim ends this first story with: As I drove off to work my mind began whirling into activity . . . now next time I need to . . .
What will happen next?
Blessings, Mari
