My father did this when he was a child. He died when he was 51 and I was 24.
I don't really know much about how he did it, other than the fact that you have to push the boat in with the sails down, and then you pull the ropes and raise the sails. It makes me think about how many details I don't know about his life, especially the life he had before I was born. Fortunately, I know a lot about him, but this reminds me how important it is to talk to people and get the stories out of them while you can.
My father was a war hero. He figured out how to steer his helicopter to blow the life rafts away from the burning ship they were being pulled toward during the Falklands War. I was born while he was away. Considering that every year on my birthday, my father, mother, and grandmother told me the story about how he received a special message on his ship about my arrival, I don't really know much about his time in the Falklands.
I'm lucky because he kept a logbook and I have it now, so I know a little more, but it's another reminder to talk and ask questions and get the stories out of people while you can.
