When we bought Uffda, our new sailboat, it was located in a marina in the Southeastern corner of Lake Lanier, Georgia.  We live in the far Northwestern part of this 38,000 acre lake.  It was a Tuesday in December and I had to work, so my husband, Ryan and our friend Al decided they were going to tow it home by themselves behind one of our ski boats.

Easier said than done.

It was a sunny, but windy 50 degree day on Lake Lanier.  My husband met the seller in the morning.  A company had acquired the boat in a tax sale and had no idea of it’s history or how it got in such bad condition.   Our poor little unloved sailboat had no story.

Fortunately, Ryan and Al were about to start a new story for Uffda.

They picked Uffda up at one marina and towed it to another to get the mast taken down so it could fit under the bridge near our home.  While they were waiting for the mast to come down, they bailed about 100 gallons of rainwater out of the cabin. By the time the mast was down, lashed and they were ready to set off… the wind was whipping across the big open part of the lake and coming over the bow of the little 1800 pound ski boat towing the 8000 pound sailboat.

And then the boys made a wrong turn adding a hour to the trip home.  They were racing the waves and the dark.  And the rope towing the sailboat broke numerous times.  Once, both boats almost ended up on the rocks.

Cold and wet, the boys and the boats were in the home stretch as the sun was setting. Uffda got tied to the dock and Al needed a scotch.