Having Fun

This is my dad, Chuck Kaiser, in 1966 sailing on USA 16 - Folly. He's having fun, you can tell by the big ol' smile on his face. He didn't know hardly anything about sailing at this point, you can tell because he still had the engine mount attached to the transom. Somewhere around 1967 he ditched the engine and never used one again after that. He used to say, "You'll never learn how to sail if you use an engine." So, I grew up never using an engine on a sailboat, never knew why you'd need one either, you just sail in and out of the harbor, drop the sails at the right time and there's no problem, right?
The strokes were brutal on my dad. His adventurous independent spirit got zapped. It's why I live the way I do. I relish every moment I'm on the boat, with my friends and family. Makes me a sap, but when it's all over said and done it's better that we have some fun because no one lives forever. I love this picture because of the big ol' smile on my dad's face. Puts it all in perspective for me. Jeans and T-shirt sailing on the bay, must have been a nice day. It's important to remember your parents were once younger, more vibrant and did fun, crazy stuff too. Motorcycles and racing Folkboats on San Francisco Bay... it's what my dad was into, makes me want to go out sailing tomorrow, except it snowed in the hills last night and will probably do the same tonight... maybe I'll play chess instead.