Rima Arrives
On a Tuesday morning in mid-July, the sun peeked over the
eastern horizon and did a double-take: surely that was not
the Chaneys already up and listening to their VHF radio! The
cause for our early rising was the long-awaited arrival of
friends Bob, K, and salty dog Hamish on S/V Rima. Having
departed Corpus Christi a month after us, this would be the
day they caught up.
At 0830 we heard their call to the Bridge of Lions. By 0900
they were sliding into a slip directly behind Caribbean
Soul. What a joy to see them arrive with the Lone Star
proudly flying from the spreader! Thinking they might be hungry
after their overnight passage, I offered to cook them pancakes.
"No thanks," they politely declined. "But come
aboard and have a Mimosa!" I should have known these
old salts would be more interested in celebrating landfall
with libations than pancakes.
Rima stayed a week at Oyster Creek, our boats lying
stern to stern flying Texas flags. We had a wonderful time
sharing dinners together in town and onboard our boats. Nick
and I had decided that we might actually be able to pull ourselves
away from St. Augustine and join Rima going north.
In anticipation of leaving, Nick started trying to wrap up
a few projects. That's when he noticed the gray goo under
the engine muffler. Our custom-built fiberglass muffler had
developed a leak from the bottom and would need to be replaced
before leaving port for a 600-mile trip. The delay would be
about two weeks.
On the Tuesday following Rima's celebrated arrival,
we once again arose before the sun. With heavy hearts and
inconsolable disappointment, we waved good-bye to our Texas
friends. Rima disappeared down the San Sebastian River,
along with our remaining hopes of seeing the Chesapeake.
Sailing on Ariel
On a hot and humid Saturday, the three of us sat sweltering
and pouting inside the boat while Nick contemplated why our
main air conditioner was shutting off intermittently. With
the hatches open, we could hear Dan and Kathleen arrive at
S/V Ariel in the adjacent slip. "Come sailing
with us," they called as we poked our heads into the
cockpit. Before the word "yes" could pass my lips
and travel at the speed of sound across our shared slip, I
had launched my body over both sets of lifelines and was sitting
in their cockpit sipping a glass of wine. When Ariel
backed out of the slip, I felt a momentary twinge of guilt
as I waved good-bye to Nick, who stood dejected and shirtless
on the dock. He elected to stay behind and troubleshoot the
source of his addiction to refrigerated air.
After a 27-minute wait at the Bridge of Lions for its next
half-hour opening, a delay shortened by the partaking of wine
and appetizers, we motored out to the sea buoy. Dan and Kathleen
raised the sails and then did a shocking thing: they turned
OFF the engine. Soon we were gliding across blue-green water
at 7 knots in a 15-20 knot southeast breeze. Salt water sprayed
off the bow and danced on my sun-drenched skin. This exhilarating
experience stirred almost-forgotten memories of pleasure sailing
that Nick and I had participated in long ago before boating
became a means of getting from point A to point B by a certain
time. "We'll be in Southport, North Carolina in about
two days," Dan proclaimed. "Great, " I replied.
"I'll send for Nick and Dakota when we get there!"
After a glorious afternoon of filling her sails and rejuvenating
my spirits, Ariel motored into the slip next to Caribbean
Soul, whose hatches were now closed. Nick had the A/C
running directly off the water hose after diagnosing a water-flow
problem, possibly caused by growth on the bottom around the
through-hull. Sadly, we've stayed in Oyster Creek long enough
to need a bottom cleaning. In Caribbean Soul's artificially
cooled cabin, I excitedly explained to Nick that a sailboat
could be a vehicle of pleasure--not just a slow powerboat
or a collection of broken down parts in various stages of
repair tied to a dock. He seemed skeptical, but admitted a
foggy memory of similar enjoyable experiences. I suggested
that we could also enjoy pleasure sailing on our boat and
urged him to give it a try. He shrugged noncommittally. Maybe
next month....
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We had a great view of July 4th fireworks
during Cosa Bella's dock party
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