A beautiful day in Hopetown and I decide it is time for me to get the name on the side of the boat. We have Alegria on the back, but we never had good enough weather or a good spot for me to do it. Today it wasn’t too windy so Tristan and I brought the dingy around to the side of the boat to get started. I was really nervous because I have never done this before and the lettering is very big. If I get it wrong or uneven, it will be very obvious. Tessa is at the front of the boat. It is her job to hold the dingy forward while Tristan and I measure down the side of the boat for the right location.

There are two ways to put the name on. One is to put water on the back of the name and then place the name against the boat. You use a squeegee to get the water out and the name sticks. It is the easier way and the way I put the letters on the back of the boat. This time we do it the harder way, which is measure down from the top of the boat, rip the back off and stick it on. It is very hot and now the wind kicks up. Tessa loses her grip on the front of the dingy while I am standing on it nearly causing me to fall and Tristan drops the name in the water. This is not going well.

After about 20 minutes and a lot of frustration, I realize this wasn’t going to work. I sent Tessa in to get some water to put on the back of the name and we will try the squeegee method. Another round of sweating and yelling and the name is on the side of the boat. Now I just need to squeegee, slowly pull back the outer paper and the name should stick.

Nope. More squeegee. No sticky. More squeegee. More squeegee. More sweaty. Still no sticky. I lay on my back in the dingy cursing myself for doing this.

“Hey” Someone is yelling to me. It’s the guy who looks about 80 years old on the sailboat moored behind us.

“What?” I yell back.

“The guy on the boat down there,” (he points to a sailboat about 50 feet away with a guy sitting on the deck watching me) “He says to tell you the name would look better if it was closer to the front of the boat and higher up.”

My mouth drops open. I can’t believe it. Noticing the look on my face he hooks his thumb in the guy’s direction and says “He said it. Not me.”

I am appalled. The guy on the other sailboat got on the VHF radio and called the old guy on the boat behind me to tell me I am not doing it correctly! I am hot, I am tired and I am in no mood to be messed with. I yell back. “Well you tell him I am not moving it!”

I scowl at my critic across the water. Mike on Dual Dreams yells over to me, “I think it looks great!”

I thank him and go back to my squeegee. Life in a small town harbor.