The rest of the week flew by. Every morning I rode my bike to the Harbor, had my tennis lessons with Margaret, ate lunch in the center field, took the occasional jump in the pool, and then went to sailing at one in the afternoon.

Jackson had become a bit of a nuisance as I expected him to be. Once while I was rigging my Bic, he splashed some water on me. A few drops hit Margaret too, and boy was she upset!

It was Friday. Tennis lessons had gone well, and I was learning how to put spin on the tennis ball. It was very windy and chilly that day. The wind was coming from the south, so we wouldn't have too much trouble in terms of waves. But some of us would definitely be overpowered in this breeze.

I sat on my beach towel in the center field, the wind howling through the trees. On one side of me was Margaret, who was fiddling with her tennis racquet, and on the other side, Bradley and Russell, who had joined us for lunch every day that week.

"Some wind we've gotten today. First really windy day of the season," I remarked. 

Margaret nodded her head. "I've never sailed a Bic in heavy air before."

"It's fun. They glide over waves much smoother than an Optimist." I said.

"I really don't want to go sailing in this. I'll turtle," Bradley sighed.

"Hey, it happens to us all sometimes." Russell looked out over the churning waters of the ocean. "I don't really like sailing in conditions like this either."

"Well, maybe Ally will be smart and keep us on shore?" I suggested. "Jackson will want us to go sailing for sure."

The others nodded.

"I hope so," Bradley let out another sigh.

My hypothesis turned out to be correct. We weren't going sailing. Instead, we would be safely on shore, practicing our knot tying skills.

The Adventure Sailors walked over to the center field at one, ready for the lesson. Jackson was carrying a large bucket filled with lines* of various lengths and widths. He set it on he ground next to the tree with a thud.

"Okay, Adventure!" Jackson said, signaling the start of our meeting. "Its a little windy today, so we're not going sailing this afternoon. Instead, we'll be working on knot tying. Everyone take a line from the bucket."

Everyone walked over to the bucket and grasped the first line they felt. We walked over to the tree and looped the lines around the branches to make it easier to tie knots.

"We'll start with a square knot." Ally announced. "Who knows the procedure for tying a square knot?"

Russell raised his hand. "Left over right, right over left! Or vice versa."

"Correct, Russell!" Jackson nodded. "Now everyone take your lines off the tree, we won't need to use the branches just yet. Wrap your line around your waist instead, and practice a square knot. I'll come around and make sure everyone has done it correctly ."

I had a perfect square knot around my waist in a matter of seconds. "Left over right.... Right over left! And pull tight to finish!" I smiled at my work.

"Very good, Mattie!" Ally said when she came to check my knot. "Do you know his to do a figure eight stopper knot?"

"Yup!" I responded confidently. I took one of the ends of my line and made a figure eight, then pulled the loose end through. "Done!"

"Impressive!" Ally nodded. "How about... A bowline**?"

"Um....." I couldn't tie a bowline. Not for the life of me. Before I had to admit that to Ally, Jackson called everyone to attention again.

"Okay, everyone! I see some very good knot tying skills here! Alex, great job on the bowlines! Mattie, nice stopper knots! Emma and Lena, good square knots over there! I think it's time to play a little game...." He had a smirk on his face. 

What could this mean? I thought to myself. Margaret and I exchanged a glance. I could sense she was thinking the same thing as me: Nothing good.

*Lines are the term sailors use for ropes.

**the bowline (pronounced Boh-len) is a type of knot that will be mentioned many times in this book, as it is an important knot in sailing. However, bowline the knot is not to be confused with the bowline, (pronounced Bow-line) the line at the front of a boat used to tie the boat to docks and other structures. The bowline (the line) often has a bowline (the knot) tied at the end of it. :)