A dabchick is a bit like a surfboard It has a hollow hull sandwiched together with a centre board, tiller and two sails One leans out perpendicular to counter balance the tipping hull placing feet under the strap that runs each side of the hull.
Back when I was twelve, my dad built me a dabchick I had great fun learning how to sail it getting many dunking's Us kids used to sail around the harbour and race to the spit. One day after racing back and forth several times, the wind started to pick up and the others headed ashore. But I carried on, this was way too fun as I sped about. The squall grew stronger and I turned turtle several times up righting my boat I foolishly carried on until as I up ended her I was hit on the head, dazed I sat on the up turned hull. Unable in the squall's strength to get her up right I clung to the centre board and watched the harbour wall get closer too dazed to realise the danger I was in I just sat there waiting. Lucky for me the yacht club notified the life boat and it came out, rescued in the nick of time they took me aboard and dried me off. They towed my dabchick still turned turtle back to the yacht club. My parents Dad especially were furious and I was grounded for the rest of the summer while dad repaired my dabchick. My humiliation was complete when the local paper covered my rescue. I learnt that day to respect the sea and treat it with caution. My story could have ended so differently. Yet I remained a dare devil and went through two very bad car clashes with barely a scratch. Now at last much wiser I take things much more steadily and rarely take such risks after all I am not invincible. Just someone who pushed her luck right to the edge. written 11/02/2014 contest: Near Death or Near Life Experience
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