Visiting California - Finale

Written by Poseidon

In the spring I decided that I needed a week off to relax. I had been in my new job as "Senior Vice President for Government Research and Development" for nearly 9 months and had worked long hours to build the program to the winning combination I now had. Having a boat made it easy - I would sail down to Mexico for a week and get away from it all. The R&D group was growing and winning contracts, not every contract but enough to mean we added staff every couple of months. I approached Frank, the President about taking a week off. Pulling my leg he claimed I was too important to ever be allowed to have a vacation, but said "Enjoy." He wanted me to take more than one week, but that is all I wanted right now.

I started to make my plans, although I had not picked a week yet. I happened to mention it to Katie and she immediately wanted to go too. She even told me when she would have spring break. The thought was tempting. Then Judy called and said Katie said I was taking a week to go sailing and could he come too? An hour later Christine called and said Katie had told her I was going on a week's sailing trip and could she come too. I didn't know those two were in communication at all. This was getting complicated. Christine's grandmother then called and asked whether I had invited Christine to go on this trip. I had to admit I had not, but she was welcome to go. Then grandma dropped the bombshell question.

"Who is chaperoning the girls?"

I hesitated because I hadn't even considered that at all. Initially, this was to be a week alone, sailing solo. The Tiger was not the easiest boat to sail solo, but you could do it. Now I had 3 girls, no make that 4 girls because grandma had understood that I had invited Vanessa, on a week long voyage to Mexico. A chaperone would probably be a good idea.

"It is still up in the air" I said, "either Judy's or Katie's mother".

Now all I had to do was convince them to go. When grandma hung up I called Katherine, Katie's mother and asked whether she would be willing and able to chaperone the trip if I took the girls along.

"No way. I hate the water" she said. "Have you asked Mary (Judy's mother) if she would do it? Perhaps she and John would come along?"

The boat slept 7. Mary, John and me made 3. The 4 girls would make the 7. Since the girls were small, it wouldn't be too crowded. That could work.

I called Mary and proposed the idea to her. She said she would talk it over with John and get back to me shortly.

Ten minutes later she called to say it was a go. Well, the next couple of days were hectic finding out the requirements to enter and exit Mexico. We had to get notarized letters from the parents not going to allow the kids to go, including copies of Vanessa's and Christine's parents' death certificates. Fortunately, a tour company in town helped out a lot because the owner's daughter worked for our company. We had everything we needed a week before we left.

My plan was to sail down the coast, pulling into shallow water at night to anchor and sleep. My goal was to head as far south as I could go in the time available, at least as far as El Rosario. The coast is pretty straight so finding moorage at night was going to be a challenge. But I had mobile satellite internet installed on the boat and with that I could pull up interactive satellite imagery to review what was ahead - an advantage of working for a DoD contractor. ......(cont)

.......Read the entire Visiting California - Finale ....written by Poseidon.
Copyright © 2008 Poseidon. ALL Rights Reserved









This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.


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