PASSAGE

PASSAGE

 

 

and the most

 

MAGICAL MORNING

 

I had made a trip from Charleston, S.C.

to Havre de Grace, Maryland in my 27' Newport sloop, the

 

SABRINA ANN

 

I had gone to Havre de Grace, Md. which was at the top of the Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna empties into it to visit my father in Lancaster, Pa. for the summer.

 

I had lingered to long in Yankee land.  The weather started to turn cold so I picked up the hook and was South bound like a hound.

 

I hadn't cleaned the marine growth off the bottom in a long time.  The extra drag made for slow going.

 

On the way up I had met a diver in Portsmouth, Virginia.  He had expressed an interest in having a portrait done of his girlfriend.  I was hoping I could trade a bottom job for a portrait.  Bad news, they broke up.

Things went from bad to worse.  I got sick and had
 to go to the hospital.  It was eleven cold, rainy, miserable days before I was able to move on.

The first brake in the weather I headed South and made it as far as the free dock at Great Bridge.  The next day I passed thru Coin Jock.  Around nightfall I came to what appeared to be a deserted marina.  I pulled in and tied up.  There was power on the dock so I plugged in the space heater and toasted my frozen buns. 

In about an hour someone showed up and wanted some rent.  I did not relish the idea of a cold night on the hook so I coughed up some dough.

I cooked some dinner and crashed.  I awoke at first light to a lousy, cold, miserable day.

When it started to get dark I was still in the middle of nowhere.  I must have been N. of the Albemarle Sound.  I was exhausted so I pulled over to the side and splashed the hook.  I opened a can of spaghetti O's and wolfed them down cold.  I crawled under every cover I had with all my clothes on and crashed.

I awoke around first light.  It was cold and drizzly.  this time of year traveling time was limited to about
six hours.  If I was going to make any progress I had to get up and move but that was the last thing I wanted to do.

I got up and made some coffee then took a peek outside.  It was raining.  I got right back into bed and dozed off.  When I woke up the rain had stopped and the sun was up.

I picked up the hook and fired up iron wind Alice and motored out into the bay.  A breeze freshened up so I turned off Alice and set some sail.

By late afternoon I had crossed the Albemarle.  I was still in open water when it got late so I started looking for a place to splash the hook. The closet bay was still an hour away. 

 I was in ten feet of water.  There were no reports of bad weather so I stopped and dropped the hook.  I ate something but did not make it thru Monday night football.

(I had a little 5" b/w T.V. that ran off the battery)

I awoke around first light and made a cup of coffee then went top side.  I was stunned.  It was dead silent.  Nothing was moving.  I could see a duck and two seagulls on the water.  I had never seen such a magical, mystical morning.

To the East the sun was behind a cloud bank that tinged it with pink and gold.  That extended to a fog bank on the water.  Even though the clouds were white and the water was black you couldn't tell where one began and the other left off.

Then way off to the North I saw a speck moving on the horizon.  It was a power boat moving towards me.  It took a long time to reach me.  As it did it's wake caught the lite and it was like ribbons of gold rolling across black water.

I was mesmerized watching the strips of gold roll towards me.  They took a long time to reach me.  It was a climatic moment as the boat rocked gently.  If I had pants on I would have wet them. 

I watched as they rolled towards the shore.  Just then the sun peeked over the clouds and everything exploded into a dazzling display of white.

I picked up the hook and destroyed it all when I fired up iron wind Alice and moved along.