"Chutzpah?" My son looked at me like I had lost my mind. "Chutzpah," I stated proudly. "That is what I am naming our new boat." He rolled his eyes as an 11 and a 1/2 year old tends to do around this time in his life and shook his head just like my husband did when I told him that I "won" a boat at a recent silent auction I went to. Notice how I put quotation marks around the word 'won'? Those of us who have bid on items at silent auctions know exactly what I mean. So begins the story of alayne and her boat and what does this have to do with alayne white spa anyway? Read on for more...

I was walking around Bristol this past weekend and stumbled upon a boat show/ art show at Independence Park. At this boat show, I noticed a small booth set up promoting the terrific Young Mariners Program that is offered at Kickemuit Middle School, the junior high school for Bristol Warren. Mr. Perry, the man in charge of the program was auctioning off the 2 boats the kids had been working on. One was a small skiff and one was a restored 14' Bluejay, a small racing sailboat that I kind of learned to sail on when I was about 12 growing up in Jamestown, RI. No one had bid on either and I learned that the auction would be going on until the following day at around 3. My heartstrings pulled as I know some of the kids who are in this program and my son will be going to this middle school next year. Being a huge advocate for the Bristol Warren Schools, I immediately entered the starting bid to get the ball rolling. Afterall the money raised would be going right into the program for next year and I was hoping that my son would take an interest in boatbuilding. Well, fast forward to the end of the day and no one else bid. Fast forward to the next day at 10am and no one else bid. Oy Vey, I thought, I may end up with not one but two boats! Fortunately someone ended up taking the skiff for 605.00! I was proud that I got the bidding going at 400 and the man who got the skiff was a parent of one of the boys who built the boat, however, that left the Bluejay and I was still the only bidder at 325.00. Well, 3:00pm came and went and I was the only bidder. Mr. Perry told me I could back out if I wanted, but the fantasy world of having my own sailboat had already entered my water loving birthsign of Pisces and I was excited about this wacky 'win'. So here I sit at 6:08am, the proud owner of a 14' Bluejay sailboat, wooden, beautiful, waiting to meet Steve Thurston of Thurston Sails at 6:30am conveniently down the street from where I live to buy sails. Did I mention that it didn't come with sails? Did I also mention that I don't know how to sail and that the last time I tried to sail was when I was 12? Did I mention that it also does not have a trailer to tow it to the water that I live so close to, but not directly on? So now my beautiful wooden 14' Bluejay that cost me 325.00 at an auction for a great cause is now going to make me buy sails, sailing lessons for my son and me, maybe a trailer, registration fees and oh yes, let's not forget insurance. And I am forging ahead despite all of that simply because I live in Bristol, grew up in Jamestown and my son and I should be on that water as often as possible. My husband, by the way, knows how to sail and knows boats and has regularly protested this adventure since this past weekend, but that is where the name of the boat kicks in loud and clear.

CHUTZPAH.

Without that, there would be no boat, I wouldn't be married for almost 20 years and I certainly wouldn't own and operate 2 spas. Chutzpah is about taking risks and feeling groovy about it. Chutzpah is about doing things despite the fact that they are impractical and seemingly absurd. To me Chutzpah is about living life, enjoying it and laughing about it all the way. In this wacky world of negative media, chutzpah keeps us afloat. (pardon the deliberate pun) It can be contagious in a good way as people engage in the experience of the story. Stay tuned for more sailing stories and if you are on the water and see a woman eating cheese and crackers, drinking her lavender lemondade in a small sailboat named Chutzpah, give a big wave (from a distance though) as I learn to navigate through this new adventure.