Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Column People Say They Want

Based on my recent email I will realign my thinking and write the blog that it appears the readers want:

Today was a wonderful day. We had so much fun.

A beautiful dawn presaged all the good things with which the table of life would be set for us to enjoy. Of course with the time change we got up extra early and had a chance to watch the sun come up.

Embracing the day with our usual 6 a.m. enthusiasm we sprang to our tasks, checked fluid levels, started water for tea, hauled up the anchor and set off on another wonderful day of adventure.

What we like most about the Waterway along the North Carolina coast is the lack of surprises. Nothing but water, deep and wide bracketed by long sand beaches and grass. No silly natural formations to draw our attention away from the serious task of moving our trusty sailboat along the waterway. Just like Holiday Inn. It might have been painted all in beige. So pretty.

A special treat today, we got to fly our new genoa for the very first time. This was exciting and fun and we had a good time. It was especially handy as we had to hurry along to reach the first of 3 scheduled bridge openings and the sail gave us an added 1/2 knot.

Getting to the bridge a bit late anyway gave us the opportunity to sit and chat with all the other happy boaters who were caught short when the playful bridgemaster opened the bridge 8 minutes early and none of us could go through. Such a pleasant chance to share conversation with our fellow boaters.

It was not boring at all. The 3 knot current at the bridge kept us plenty busy just trying to not run into each other or the bridge. As always we sailors kept well back from the more expensive and thus more important powerboaters who felt only reasonably that since they made more money that us they should go to the head of the line. No waiting in line for the rich or the deeply indebted.

Once the bridge opened the fun just continued. Whenever we got bored we would turn up the radio and listen to the chatter: An important powerboater trying to attain his rightful place in line calling the "White Sailboat going south on the ICW". Turned out he was calling us but you know with those hundreds of white sailboats on the waterway it could have been anybody.

What a great guessing game it was and what a time filler. We had thought we might offer teaching when we got to the poorer islands in the Caribbean but maybe we should just travel like Johnny Seaweed - going from marina to marina to teach those poor powerboaters how to read.

We made it to our anchorage at Carolina Beach in good time and couldn't be more eager to start all over again tomorrow.

Hope you had a nice day. We sure did.

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