My 30th Anniversary present was a four hour session on my boat with Joe Cooper, America's Cup winning sailor (Australia II), sailing consultant, and Windcheck columnist. Does the Admiral know me or what?

We planned it for Tuesday, July 6 (the Tuesday after the three-day July 4 weekend). I had taken the day off and was very excited. But on Monday, the forecast for Tuesday was severe thunderstorms. We rescheduled for Wednesday. Good thing as it absolutely poured rain, with very high winds and lots of thunder and lightning, right in the middle of our scheduled time.

It didn't rain on Wednesday; it was hazy, hot and humid. Very hot. Into the 90's with the heat index. But Coop was on time, and we headed out at 10 am. Before leaving the dock, he gave me some tips on how to back out more effectively. Winds were light, but we had enough to talk about sail shape, setting sails, steering, rigging upgrades he recommended, docking procedures, and general seamanship. A very, very enjoyable and informative four hours.

Coop highly recommends a cruising kite.

Once Coop left, I took the opportunity to use Mr. Angle Grinder (with a cutting wheel) to take some material off of the anchor hatch cover so the shank of my new anchor fits more comfortably. It took only about a minute to do the actual work. Good thing as it was so friggin hot I couldn't stand it. At least the hatch cover now closes completely. I had planned to mount the new blocks to the stern rail, and measure for line to use for the ladder pull downs, but it was just unbearable.