It takes hours to figure out what the tide will be in a narrow shallow area by the time you get there (which depends on the current, wind and tide when you leave and on your way to the propeller destroying shallow area!). Now, throw in meeting a trawler and believe it or not, a cruise ship (Carnivals Atlantic Star) in two of three narrow areas that you have been apprehensive about, along with an Admiral that is constantly pointing out crab traps that are 2 miles ahead (that you have already seen!) and constantly saying that you are out of the channel when you are trying to get back in the channel, add in biting horse flies( that I am told are so big this year they are going to put licence plates on their wings) occasionally taking their lunch out of your leg. .....well....you can see...how someone with a quick temper (and quick to forgive and forget, I might add ) might just be a little bit irritable and prone to raising his or her voice.
Even poor Spencer was having a bad day. First of all he picked up a tick on his back when we were on Cumberland Island, so was not feeling well and really didn't like us swatting at the flies with a newspaper. Curled up in the second helm seat on the upper deck he was sleeping when all of a sudden he let out a yelp, snapped at his back side and jumped over into my lap and he cursed. I heard him say "Bastard horse fly, bit my ass, Daddy!"
I would be remiss if I did not mention "Hell Gate" Maybe it was fatigue, maybe it was stress. maybe it was Alzheimer's, maybe it was the fear of having to go through one of the most frequent areas for boats to go aground, but as we approached the shallow, narrow, rapid current passage that I had been most worried about, I caught a flash of something out of the corner of my eye. I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck and shivers ran down my arms and spine....I thought I saw an open hand rise out of the water, grasping for the sky (or maybe grasping for the boat)! It was so real that I pulled the throttles back to see if it was a body floating under the surface. White faced, I looked around the water surface and saw nothing, so with trepidation we proceeded on.
It is not just us. We met a nice couple from Portland, Maine (John and Debbie on the sailboat Feeling Lucky) who got tired of watching their neighbourhood change with the influx of third world refugees, so sold their home, bought a sail boat and are experiencing the same frustrations (not including the hand hallucination, I am sure they would want me to add!) and arguments that infect us. We all laughed about our experiences over sun downers and pot luck supper later, on the day we arrived. When I told them about "the hand", they told me that indeed a small boat was found empty and people were looking for a lost boater! (do you hear the theme song from jaws in your head! I did!)
Next day the four of us signed out the courtesy car to travel to down town Savannah not only to get supplies for the boat at West Marine, but also to get the flavour of this sultry southern town. It just happened that the tall sailing ships were coming into port for a visit. We marvelled at old three masted vessels from France, Brazil and the tug boat named "Penobscot Bay" (I guess Maine's contribution).
Heavy oaks draped with Spanish moss lined streets which seemed to almost always wind around a small park with a fountain. We stopped at a beautiful cathedral, St John the Baptist, which I entered only after Debbie assured me that a big thumb wouldn't come down through the ceiling crushing me with a loud voice saying "you piss me off! Beth took lots of pictures saying , "I might never get him into a church again!"
It was hot. I guess we are acclimated to being on the water. We stopped and got a beer to go, than later a 12 pack, which was enough to last until we found ourselves lost in the environs of Savannah. Thank heavens for smart phones. As John passed the same car wash for the 3rd time, Beth and he finally asked their phones for direction back to the marina....Deb and I just opened another beer. We laughed as we exchanged boat stories good and bad (even some of the curse words used during the bad times were the same!!)
Arriving at Isle of Hope marina we were joined by Evelyn and Sid from Woodstock, Ontario in the boat named "Something Special". They brought over Eldon and Dianne Morrison from the boat "Maine Visions."(We first saw Maine Visions At Morning Star Marina in St. Simmonds Island but did not meet the owners.) It turns out that Eldon is from Perry, Maine and Dianne from Eastport, Maine...both of which are home to us. We talked about all kinds of people we knew in common and the Fundy Bay in general. Eldon and Dianne had already done most of the great loop and were heading back to their home in Yarmouth, Maine.
As Beth prepared a good home cooked meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas and corn, the rest of us continued in the party mode. A little dancing and the music got louder. John seemed partial to having the volume up to almost the level that I usually listen at around three in the morning, but because of the closeness of the marina I turned it down. Sid and Evelyn seemed amazed that Beth could throw a meal together that quickly,y and thanked us profusely before retiring, so at the end only the Mainers were left standing.
Deb, Sid, Eldon and Dianne
Even though we had hangovers the next day there was work to be done. Up at six am, I started the oil change for the mains and generator. All of the filters including the oil spinners had to be changed out and 12 gallons of old oil carried up the ramp to the disposal shed (not my recommendation for working off a hangover!) The salon air conditioner crapped out so I tore into it and couldn't solve the issue while Beth started the party clean up on the upper deck. "Someone dropped and broke a beer bottle up top. Watch your feet," she griped. Smiling meekly I responded, "Now, who could have done that and not picked it up!"
Eldon and Dianne left for Beaufort after coming over to exchange boat cards. We promised to meet up with them for drinks in Eastport. Sid and Evelyn went to the Tall ship sailing adventure in down town Savannah and would be leaving the next day. John and Debbie ( I hope she is still talking to me after all the jokes I made, nick naming her "swallow"!...rest of the story left untold!) would be staying around till Sunday, then headed back up to New Jersey and maybe the Maritimes . We still had fuel filters to change, and a boat to prepare for a month of being closed up. We would be leaving, Beth for Naples and me for Beaumont. I would have to finish one more month at work before we could continue this journey in earnest.
In reflection, this has not been the relaxing cruise I thought it would be. It has been a challenge. It has been stressful, but we have seen many amazing things and met interesting friendly people. Our children R.J. and Crystal and grandchild, Dean (one of the grandchildren we have yet to see!) are going to come home for International Festival in Calais/St. Stephen. Hoping we may be able to get most of the grandchildren on the boat to go whale watching in the bay of Fundy this summer we will persevere and continue the adventure.
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