CHAPTER 4
After lunch, Mom, Dad, and Eric took off. Nick wandered around the town. He didn’t mean to, but at about 1:15, he found himself standing in front of Don’s Surf Shop.
“Hey, Nick!” a girl’s voice called. He turned and saw Meiko walking out of the shop. She smiled and waved, and added, “How was lunch?”
“It was okay,” Nick said.
Meiko looked around. “Want to get started?” she asked.
Nick felt his stomach sink. He didn’t want to get started. But was there a way to tell her that without hurting her feelings?
“About the windsurfing,” Nick began. “I’m not sure . . .”
But then he noticed the pile of equipment next to her. Two boards. Two sails. And a bunch of other stuff.
“My dad said we could switch the surfboard rental for the windsurfing rig,” Meiko said. “So I brought it all for you.” She pointed to the gear on the ground.
Nick looked at the different parts and pieces. There were ropes, a board, foot straps, and a life vest. It seemed way more complicated than regular surfing.
It’s not like I have anything better to do, Nick thought. “What is all this stuff?” he asked.
“You should learn the different parts and pieces of the rig,” Meiko said. She started lifting up the different pieces of equipment and telling him about each one. Nick listened as she explained everything. “Okay, now we can put it all together!” Meiko told him. “Pick up the mast.”
“That’s this long pipe thing, right?” Nick asked.
Meiko grinned. “You were paying attention!” she teased. “Yes, that one.”
Nick slipped the long pipe, called the mast, into the sail’s sleeve. After that, he attached it to the middle of the board.
“Perfect,” Meiko said. “So far so good.”
Nick nodded. Sure, he thought. Until I have to get this thing in the water.
“Okay,” Meiko continued. “See those black foot straps on the board? You slip your feet in there, and they help you stay on.”
There were three foot straps, two in the middle and one at the nose of the board. They had a foam-like rubber covering.
“Hop on,” Meiko said. “Let’s see if we need to adjust anything.”
Nick put his feet through the straps. They were actually pretty comfortable. “Nice,” he said. “I couldn’t stay on the regular surfboard. I kept slipping off.”
Meiko laughed. “I had the same problem,” she said. “I also like holding on to something.”
“What do you hold on to when you’re windsurfing?” Nick asked.
Meiko bent over. She pointed to a curved piece attached to the sail. It had a clip on one end.
“This is the boom,” she said. “You use this to steer the sail. You raise the sail rig with a line called the uphaul,” she went on. “The mast bends at the base, so if the sail falls, the board doesn’t tip over.”
“Cool!” Nick said. “That sounds perfect for me.”
“Try raising the sail up,” Meiko suggested. “Grab the uphaul, and pull it toward you.”
Little by little, Nick pulled the sail off of the sand. When the sail was upright, he grabbed the boom.
“Excellent,” Meiko said. She clapped. “You’re on your way!”
Just then, a strong gust of wind picked up from behind them. It hit the sail and jerked Nick right off of the board. The sail went down, knocking Nick to the sand.
“Maybe that’s enough for today,” Meiko said as she helped him up. “Come back tomorrow morning, and we’ll do more.”
I can’t even stay up on the beach, Nick thought. He spit out sand and brushed himself off. How can I do this on the water?