DAY 12
Week 2
SOMERS BAY (Montana, USA)
Sunday, July 2nd, 2006
TODAYS MILEAGE – 3 miles or 5 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 1760 miles or 2832 kilometres
Am I Popeye the sailor man??? 
This morning, our host Pete whips us up a hearty breakfast of flapjacks, kielbasa and coffee, which sounds like an odd concoction, but works really well. Sharilee was up and about, all be it very gingerly, but it's a good sign.
Gump and myself bolted around 10AM with the Hobbi Cat, headed for the boat ramp. There have been a lot of firsts on this trip • first time living in an RV • first time hassled by customs • first time fly fishing • first time sleeping in a Walmart car park and now first time "rigging" a sail boat.
For those uninitiated, Gump's 18 foot Hobbi Cat is like the Porsche of the waters. It's 18 foot long twin hull/pontoon design of the catamaran family that can be sailed by one person. "Rigging" his particular boat consisted of raising the mast, setting the associated cabling and installing the sails. To me it was like putting together a big Meccano set and although it looked pretty daunting at first, it's a pretty straight forward procedure.
Captain Gump put in the water and headed back over to Pete and Sharilee's while I took the car and boat trailer back from whence it came. We got back just in time for Zan to have lunch on the table, which was wolfed down as we headed for the lake.
Rear Admiral Gump and First Mate Fitzy headed out across the emerald waters of Flathead Lake with our life vests and the all important life preserver holding ½ a dozen samples of the best efforts from the crew at Pabst Blue Ribbon.
We spent the best part of a couple of hours zig-zagging across the lake, bumping our gums on any all subjects and having a thoroughly good time. We didn't push the boat too hard as it was a shakedown cruise for Gump, but I wasn't disappointed in the least.
Getting back on shore, we pitched in with Pete in helping to build his fire pit, which we put to good use later in the evening. All in all a pretty good day was had by all. Can it get any better than that???
• SOMERS BAY (Montana, USA)