Since 1874 there's been a railroad from Watsonville running 33 miles up the coast to Davenport. Twice a day, three times per week a train would slowly chug along the prettiest section of coast imaginable, along the coastal bluffs, above the beaches, and through farmland. All the way to the end of the line at the cement plant at Davenport. Just offshore, north of Natural Bridges, the afternoon northwester would kick up whitecaps. And surf would thunder against the cliffs.
Back when he was a kid, my friend Jimmy would pick up his girlfriend on a Saturday afternoon and they'd drive to the west side of town where the artichoke fields begin. There, Jimmy would partially deflate his tires and drive his '56 Chevy onto the train tracks. With a brick placed against the accelerator, Jimmy and his girl would get in the back seat with a six pack of beer and enjoy the ride along the deserted tracks all the way to the end of the line.
Jimmy's voyages gave me an idea. The NW winds blow with regularity, often reaching gale force on a spring afternoon. Why not build a boat that would sail downwind on the railroad tracks, a boat that was easily portable, and could be ditched off the tracks, especially important if an oncoming train was sighted in the distance?.
I sketched the design, collected the materials, and set to work. A 4 x 6 piece of plywood, some 2x4's, eight recycled skateboard wheels, an old El Toro mast and sail, and a couple of lawn chairs. Should be good, I thought, as I screwed the wheels to the plywood platform in an angled position so my ship would stay on track. The whole thing didn't weigh more than 30 pounds, I called it "Railer Sailor."
Unfortunately, my first voyage was also the last. I carried the Railer Sailor to the tracks and set it in place. I pushed off, not very hard, and climbed aboard. Wow, those skateboard wheels are really friction free, I thought, as we took off down the tracks at a good clip.
I don't know how fast Railer Sailor was going, maybe 25, when I sighted the gravel mound piled between the tracks up ahead. I had just enough time to think that some sort of brakes would be needed on version 2 when we hit the gravel. Railer Sailor came to an instant stop, and I kept going.
Today, Railer Sailor sits in the garage, awaiting redesign. I'll bet L'HYDROPTERE and Vestas Sail Rocket didn't fly the first time either.