The Perfect Weekend: Sailing, Cycling, PA Catheters, and Picnic with the Pops.

This was my last weekend of inpatient before a month of research and as such I had my last weekend shift. I arrived at work early to try to get out early and take advantage of some serious wind blowing up. First thing was to place a bed-side pulmonary artery catheter in a patient who presented with shock of unknown etiology, but whose mental status precluded prior PA catheter placement To my surprise, she was in septic not cariogenic shock and the treatment plan was changed accordingly. Medicine, much like sailing is often a humbling experience.

I was able to get out of the hospital by noon and made arrangements to meet up with my crew for the day. The winds were blowing 11-13 knots steady out of the northwest but very shifty with gusts of 15 to 20 knots ranging from 230 degrees to 330 degrees. This would undoubtedly make for a wild ride. The sea state was relatively calm and after a brief tutorial on their respective roles (Katie Dodd, Jib trimmer and Auroa Badin (AB), rail meat) we set sail.

Launching from the south end of the middle section, we had a pretty good beat up to the north section. The shifting winds caught us off guard on a few occasions which, when combined with some sloppy tacks, lead us to scoop up considerable portions of the lake's volume. This was fine by me as the inside of the boat needed a good cleaning and the auto-bailers were able to make short work of the liquid ballast we had taken aboard.

We had made it to the north section of the lake where a large out-pouch provided the option for some east west runs and the opportunity to fly the spinnaker. However, as we were beating north a large gust headed us with the wind shifting from 45 degrees off our port bow to 55 degrees of our starboard bow. Within a second we went from being the wind's counterweight to its co-conspirator in turning the boat upside-down. Katie Dodd later recalled, "All of a sudden I was looking up to see the other side of the boat next to my face."

Somehow the boat failed to capsize, but again we had about 5 inches of water in the cockpit. The auto-bailers, that had just been closed, were reopened. This near-swim experience did not detract us, and we did manage to get the spinnaker out once just before our southward return journey.

The down-wind sailing was still pretty fast, although subdued compared to the upwind beat, and I was very impressed by the comfort the crew developed with sail-trimming, tacking and gybing. We returned to port pretty wet, but with enough time to dry off and get ready for Picnic with the Pops in down-town Columbus that evening.

AB, Katie Dodd, Ponnila and I were joined by Serena Day and her husband as we enjoyed a fantastic picnic and the music of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra accompanied by the Buckeyes' Marching Band. We had splurged for a table in the VIP section and enjoyed an assortment of gluten free options as well as fine beers and wines. The evening ended with a fireworks show.

After the prior day's events I felt sure Katie and AB would have grown tried of me. Still, probably our of pity, the invited me for a very a pleasant 30 mile bike ride up the Olantangy and down the Alum Creek bike trails. The weather was prefect and although Katie had just picked up cycling, she was averaging 19 mph in the straits.

Fortunately , just one day of sailing was not enough to sate me and after my bike ride I headed to the yacht club to jump on the windmill and run some races. The winds were light and we only got in two races that day with one win and one loss.

As evening set in and a gentle shower passed though, I sat on the dock and reflected on the weekend's activities. I felt very fortunate to have good friends with which to experience all the wonders of life and the world around me. It was the perfect weekend.