Sunrise over the Chesapeake
It is cold out on the water of the Chesapeake. On Monday, Nov. 22, the first day of my 48th year, the sun was shining and the wind and waves were blasting me in the face. Hiding behind the dodger did nothing, I was soon shivering involuntarily thinking there were better ways to spend my life. The cold literally sunk into my bones. At the suggestion of both Michelle and my boss, I turned into Deltaville, Virginia, for a rendezvous with shore power at a dock. My electric blanket was looking pretty good.
I let a strong norther pass — it would have been a sleigh ride south but being a singlehander, it would also have meant going out on deck (and out on the fairly long bowsprit) to raise sails. With the waves growing, I decided against it. Falling off the boat would be A Bad Thing. No one would even know until Shadow Marie crashed into some rocks somewhere. That’s not a thought I like to conjure up. Being frozen fish food doesn’t sound so great, either.
The winds calmed and I took off for Norfolk. Of course what wind blew was on the nose and the cold was back with a flourish. I was happy to emerge from a gloomy day at sea to see a large American Flag flying at Hampton Roads. The electric blanket again sounded great so I decided a marina would be best over the anchorage I had planned. Michelle began calling around but, being Thanksgiving, none were open. She left messages, though, and one called her back. David Briggs, owner of Rebel Marina, invited me to tie up at a floating dock in his marina. When Michelle asked for the rate, he told her that he couldn’t charge me since it was Thanksgiving.
Wow.
A few minutes after I tied up, he walked down the dock to make sure I got in OK. He then invited me to Thanksgiving dinner in the boater’s lounge. I had originally planned on a can of Ravioli at anchor and ended up tucked into a really nice marina being filled up with turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans and pecan pie. In the process, I met some really nice people.
David Briggs took in a cold and tired stranger, not only provided a free boat slip but also provided a holiday dinner. It’s really good to know there are still people like him walking around.
visit Mitch and Shadow Marie at http://www.lifecaptions.com/blog/ for more adventures.
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