Skin On the Table

Skin on the table is a saying that Heath uses. He knows like I know that most people are full of shit when they say that want to do something. The only real way to get people to commit to something is to make them get their wallet out. After sitting on the idea of kayaking down the Baja coast for a month we changed gears and decided we should do it in a dory. A dory being a broad term for a classic looking wooden row boat, usually about 15 feet long. I wasn’t necessarily in a hurry at this point since we decided that Spring would best, but I think when there’s no commitment Heath gets nervous that the married guy might bail. No problem, let’s put some skin on the table.

You know how when you’re married or you live with someone you kind of keep them in the loop when you buy shit? Or maybe you even make the decision together. This time it was a little different. “Honey let’s go, we’re going to be late.” “Hold on, I’m just buying a boat.”

Heath found a company in the East that sells dory kits. Even better, let’s do something else we’ve never done, let’s build the damn thing too. We could ship it to Heath’s in LA and I could go out once or twice from New York and we could work on it together. This detail I think is what made this Baja idea way more personal, unique, and risky. And because the kit came with a mast and a sail, it would give us a chance to do what I’ve always wanted to do, learn how to sail.

That’s it, the boat was going to ship out west in six weeks or so, and now we could start thinking of the millions of details. We both read a book about four guys who did it in kayaks and it seemed the beaching the boat part was the crux. Being in the ocean usually won’t fuck you up, but the shore sure as hell will. You think, how hard could it be? This picture below looks hairy as hell, and the youtube video I sent to Heath doesn’t look too “casual” either.