We're at a
dock for the first time ever. Some people we knew ended up at the same
dock with their powerboat.....we're sail. We really hit it off as two couples, except when they went for a sail this spring they BOTH showed up with life jackets....he with a less-obtrusive
inflatable, her with a kapok orange "Titanic" model. We (all 4 of us) spent a significant part of the rest of the summer enjoying each other's company; but not sailing or motoring, just dinners etc.
Today, they invited us out for a short
cruise, and we (I) preferred to enjoy one last sail. We compromised by going with them for a short
motor jaunt around the area, and then they came over for a short sail.
The conditions for sailing were "challenging"......nothing serious, but 15 - 20
knot winds from a bad direction (re: leaving the slip and returning). When they showed up, they BOTH showed up in life jackets; him in a "lower-profile" model, and her with the kapok orange "Titanic" model. My composure was shot. I didn't object or say anything, but the tone was set, at least in my mind (that's really where the problem is).
My "captainship" suffered severely, significantly from their life jacket attire, partly from the windy conditions, and partly from my wife's freezing when there's a crisis of any sort and I'm depending on her. Rather than a pleasant afternoon with friends, it turned into a trip into hell & back.
I cut the trip short, made it back to the slip without a catastrophe, and am sitting here attempting to understand and regroup. Nobody got hurt, I got only somewhat embarassed, but feel like ****.
Any ideas/advice?