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The Gas Powered Blender Incident – 9 June 2007 @ MHYC
As experienced by John Chase

For the first Regatta in 2007 at Mentor Harbor Yacht Club a few of us got organized to make blender drinks at the boat. Since Ben C. received a gas powered blender as a wedding present this was the missing piece of our puzzle. (ok I’m sure we could have found a place to plug in an electric blender, but we didn’t, now get over it.). I had ice and mixers and Ben had the mixer, a match made to drink to. Or so we thought…

After our three races on a super beautiful Saturday with decent wind we returned to the slip where Breezin was docked and we proceeded to commence with making ice cold drinks. After collecting the ingredients I had one job and that was to hold down the blender while Ben pulled the ripcord and worked the throttle. Our first batch went off without a hitch. Nice cold Strawberry Daiquiris, so cold in fact that I gave myself 3 back-to-back brain freezes. I wanted Daiquiris, and I wanted them in my tummy now! (Flash back to Austin Powers…”Get in me tummy.”).

After seeing how popular they where, and the fact that there were none left for him, Ben began to whip up a second batch. Once the engine was fired up the blender did not blend. The engine was making loud engine noises and no ice was being crushed. Ben tried two more times, with me holding the blender, with no effect. Now other mechanically inclined sailors from our crew came to help. First to assist was the skipper himself (that would be Rich even though I’ve never seen him skip). Ben began to show him how it worked and the engine initiation sequence (ok, it’s pull rope, flip choke, squeeze throttle). With Ben saying the fateful words, “Now watch this” Rich bent in close to get a good look at what Ben was going to show him. Remember the first step in the engine initiation sequence? As it turns out Rich’s face was pretty close to Ben’s left hand (the same side as the rip cord) and as Ben demonstrated the engine initiation sequence he punched Rich in the face. He real victim of this event was the Daiquiri in Rich’s hand which proceeded to fly about. Most of it landed on Rich’s white shirt and the dock, with some landing on my back.

As quickly as the demonstration started it ended with Rich laughing at Ben (for punching him in the face) and Ben apologizing profusely. I was still at my station holding the blender wondering what that cold feeling was on my back. Luckily the only real victim was that poor Daiquiri. No improvements were made to Rich’s face or Ben’s fist as a result of their contact.

Since we had a pitcher full of ice, Daiquiri mix, and rum a few of us proceeded to have Daiquiri mix and rum on the rocks.

As it turns out, Ben did not punch Steve in the face when he tried to help. They discovered that the main drive shaft sheared off most likely due to a casting flaw in the shaft. Luckily Steve is an expert on shafts (please use your imagination here) and identifying their flaws.