Mishaps and an anniversary!

     Last weekend was one of those times when nothing goes according to plan. Kyrie's zincs are getting close to being in need of replacement and since she is designed for it, Joe and I came upon the idea of beaching her on nearby Sandy Beach for the change. Saturday should have been an excellent day for it, as the tides were at a relatively convenient time. We could have motored out of the harbor, rounded Mayflower Island and beached Kyrie in a pretty nice flat spot. We notified the Coast Guard of our plans since the beach is well-used and someone certainly would have seen the boat aground. I had strongly considered making a big sign saying, "Yes, we're fine. Yes, we meant to do this. No, we don't need any help," hopefully keeping us off of YouTube as boneheaded sailors who ran aground!
      But as so often happens, the weather did not behave as predicted. The wind was only supposed to be around 5 knots, but it was already 10-15 knots and blowing from the south, which could have made getting off the beach later difficult and potentially dangerous--that wind might have pushed Kyrie up on the rocks. The zinc exchange would have to wait until a safer time.
      All right. Next activity that had been a possibility--the sailing club had buoy races planned and we had been asked to act as committee boat again. This time, we brought some friends along to hang out on the boat with us while anchored. Joe and his friend had been asked to ride along on one of the other boats during the second race. The race got started and we were all having fun watching the progress. Spinnakers went up, bows crossed--it was fun! The race was about half over when it happened.
      The four of us adults were outside in the cockpit when we heard a loud thud from inside. With four kids in there, Joe called, "What was that?" No response and he ducked inside to check. Suddenly, he called with an urgency I don't normally hear, "Kristen, I need you, now!" He and Levi were down on the floor of the galley. Levi was crying and Joe was holding paper towels to his forehead. I could see blood on the floor.
     It turned out that Levi somehow tripped and fell headfirst down the steps into the galley, striking his forehead on the slider for one of the cabinets. It happened so quickly he couldn't get his hands out in front in time to stop himself. Poor kid! It didn't take long to realize this wasn't a simple cut--we needed to get Levi to a doctor and most likely he would need stitches. So I sat with a sobbing boy, pressing a wad of paper towels to his head while Joe got on the radio, announcing to the fleet that there was a medical emergency and we had to abandon our post as committee boat.
      Our friends helped get the anchor up and keep the other kids occupied while I sat with Levi. As soon as we were back at the dock, Joe took Levi and left me to finish securing Kyrie. Thankfully, the bleeding had nearly stopped at that point and Levi was fully capable of walking to the car. After about an hour, I got the word that Levi had indeed needed stitches, but had handled them like a champ and was doing fine. Mama could finally relax, knowing her boy was okay!
       So, that was our excitement this past weekend, which we could totally have done without... However, there was a reason to celebrate this week too. Yesterday was May 24, which marked our one-year anniversary of arriving back in Juneau! Kyrie has served us well in her current port, although, like us, I think she's ready get out and stretch her wings. It's time for Kyrie to be a boat again, instead of a floating apartment. We're off to Taku Harbor tomorrow for the long Memorial Day weekend and a mini vacation, which we all desperately need. The kids need a break from school and Joe and I need to cut loose and be able to just relax for a while. It's always fun and there are usually a lot of people out for the same reason. Here's to a few days of less responsibilities than usual!