Just put Sugar in the water!

I've never had anything named after me, like Martin Luther King Day, or Jefferson Street. So when Aric decided to name his boat Sugar, imagine my big smile - he calls me Sugar all the time. It's been a long haul with this boat and after the document ordeal, we are just so ready to get Sugar in the water so we can actually enjoy the purchase. Once we had the right US stamps the rest was a breeze; the Consulate added their authentication and off to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aric went. Finally he could go to the Coast Guard to get his registration numbers so we are totally official now.

Saturday, Aric woke up in a cold sweat at 7am - OK, could perhaps have been the drinks the night before, as we had our first "Friday Brunch" - a phenomenon most expats experience at some point during their stay in Dubai. The Champagne flowed freely and when it stopped, we just continued with a variety of other cocktails, both at the hotel where the brunch was hosted and at Jonas and Maria's home on the Palm. It was our first experience with a Hummer Limo as well, why not live it up? Who knows when the ride is over here.

So I'm not sure if the cold sweat was a hangover symptom or Aric realizing that he hadn't checked if the plug was in the bottom of the boat. That's enough to sober anyone up because that morning the Yacht Master was dropping the boat in to mark the waterline for the anti-fouling.

Aric shot out of bed like something bit him and got to the harbor just as Sugar was hanging above the water. Trying to keep his cool and not wanting to appear panicked in any way or shape (I'm sure screeching tires is normal at the harbor), he casually asked David (the main dude) if anyone had checked the plug. David froze at the crane controls (most insurance claims are actually from people who forget the plug when they put their boats in the water) and after a quick check, sure enough, the plug was out. I don't even want to imagine if Aric had slept 10 minutes longer!

OK so we aren't seasoned sailors yet - I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle! Going on-line today in fact to find Slim a doggy life-vest because this weekend we will be on the maiden voyage into the Arabian Sea!