Baby Boat Rower

I want to talk about it and the blog says Mattie and friends and while I'm not DADDY...I think I am part of the "and friends".  

I have about 10 years in the baby boats.    Real rowers or (cough cough) scullers or crew people or whatever they call themselves  don't spend 10 years in the baby boats.
Baby boats are wider and not as long as the others.   They don't call them baby boats...just label them with neon green names like Coco and Sparky.  I made up Sparky.  Coco is my boat.  Not mine...but the one I like to use.   
Saturday it was cold, ice particles on the dock Sandra wore the wrong shoes cold.   I fell down the ramp and except for the slightly yellowish, bluish color of my swollen pinkie, I'm good and I wasn't carrying a boat.   PARTICIPANTS accept ALL RISK ASSOCIATED WITH AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH............AND IF YOU BREAK THE BOAT.........OR HIT THE BRIDGE.....YOU GIVE US MONEY.      I like the baby boats.      But the rower people....not really so much....except for the nice woman who keeps trying to coach me into a racer type baby boat rower.     Nicely I've told her that I'm not really that type.    I race for coffee.    I race to get Stevie outside first thing in the morning.    I would even race to go get Mattie (been there done that in my pajamas, in the dark on day two of being her mom).    I race to get to the cafeteria on days I'm late with my class.     I don't have the "I'm gonna beat you" type A personality.    That would be college girl (who will be swimming locally at the BIG XII champs in 4 weeks)wipe the tears of joy aside! 
Back to boats.     I like the water, the swans, the silence, and maybe on Saturday I liked the mist coming off the water which for a moment blocked my view of the bridge I was terrified of hitting.    I feel slightly on the edge of disaster every time I go out on the water.   Have run my boat aground, bumped the bridge going slowed down speed after I  executed a phenomenal emergency stop which left me wondering . (I didn't do all this recently...but over time as a baby boat rower.)    I get distracted by the things around me.      \
The dock I'm giving my monthly dues is the least competitive of the three docks on our water way.   I started at the most competitive almost 10 years ago.   They talk in port, bow, starboard, and I need front, back, left, right.   
It's subtle class warfare.    I have strong legs and a lovely stroke she said Saturday and to not let that girl go by me...as I slowed and watched the girl go by.   then the swans....and the boat of 8.....and the ripples from the coach's launch  who was disgusted with the "RECREATIONAL ROWERS".  
It was cold and I wore 4 pair of socks, two pair of tights, 3 shirts, a hat and some gloves and some odd little things called pogies which fit over both the oar and your hand at the same time.   I threw mine in the bottom of the boat because they were odd and confusing...and I needed more coffee and it was 26 degrees.
Next Saturday it won't be so cold...and I'll be back in the baby boats trying to appear confident and assured....until the swans go by or someone yells "you're on the wrong side".   Traffic rules for all boats coming soon.