Yes friends we were involved in a serious rescue today. A tiny little girl named Molly had strayed from home and was hopelessly lost and in a panic when I spotted her running down the street. I shouted for her to STOP and amazingly she did. I ran over and scooped her up in my arms and began to ask where she had come from but she was too frightened to make any rational response. I was a couple of blocks from the boat and just started walking back toward the boat carrying her and trying to calm her. Soon she settled down and I learned her name was Molly. She was 4 years old and cute as a button. I got a phone number with a 586 area code but did not have my phone as I had just carried all the clothes to the laundromat for Jan. So I stopped a gentleman and asked if her knew her. He did not but offered the use of his phone. We dialed the number and got an answering machine. So I left my name and number and said if they did not respond that I was going to take her back to the United States with me. I was serious and already trying to figure out how I could accomplish this. I took Molly to Cbay and she settled right in. Unfortunately for me her father called and he was only one pier over from us and relieved that I had his little girl. I told him I was walking over right away. When I arrived both her parents seemed a bit nonchalant about it but they did allow me to take a picture of Molly and it seemed she really wanted to go with me but it was not to be. Here she is. Cute as a button.
Now to catch up on a few items. Seabiscuit has caught up arriving at 1000 hours. Seabatical may be arriving later. Passport is here with Kismet and Marc’s Ark arrived at midday. Blue Heron was hit by a brand new Viking 70 foot sport fish while at the dock in Killarney. An 81 year old man driving with a remote control from the cockpit misunderstood his trophey wife who was on the bow when she said “go back”. He thought she meant go back into the slip when she meant continue to back up. He plowed into a couple of boats but did not do much damage to anything but his Viking. This was a brand new boat that was just christened two days before and costs over $4 million. He had been seen all weekend walking around with cotton balls picking off spiders. I guess he will worry less about a little spider poop and more about paying attention. In truth of fact he had no business driving this boat like that at any age. Wish I had a picture but we had just left.
Today we went to have lunch at the Anchor Inn Hotel which was great. We shopped for souvenirs, mailed Amy Moon her Grand Prize, picked up tartlets at the bakery, went to the hardware store, went to NAPA and the fish market.
And in between I managed to get around to once more attempting to fix the walking keys on the main impellers. This time I finally had had enough and took the drastic approach. At the Hardware store I purchased a package of JB Quik Weld. This is a two part epoxy that is supposed to bond most anything. Capt. Ed and I once used it to seal holes in an aluminum boat and as far as I know it is still floating today. The trouble is can I ever get those impellers out in the future? Here are some photos of the project. Notice that I only put a dab on my fingertip and pressed it on the tip of each key. The stuff sets in 4 minutes thus the Quik part and solidifies like steel in 4 hours thus the Weld part. We shall see.
Now to something I hesitate to tell you because it was not my finest moment and I apologize in advance for my behavior, but you had to be there. Late this afternoon I was working on the computer when Jan leaps up and says “Oh my God!” now for those who know Jan, she is not prone to panic or fright. I thought she had seen some other boat in trouble across the marina and as I turned I saw a sailboat’s prow heading right for Cbay’s exposed port side and seemingly going to run us through. As I dashed outside the boat suddenly veered off and hit the dinghy and rear of our boat before being pulled up short by an alert dockhand who had gotten a line on her and wrapped a cleat. If he had not done this she would have come right through the salon window.
As they wrestled her into another slip I began inspecting for damage and saw that the cover on the dinghy outboard had been dislodged and I could not really get in position to see if there was more. A gentleman on the other side of me had come running and dived onto my swim platform to try and save us but he was wedged under the dinghy. He said he was sure they were going to come right through the side. We were very lucky.
Now the current in Little Current is rough and wind driven and there have been several close calls in here already. I went back in expecting that once they were secure the owner would come and inquire about damage and apologize just as I would in his shoes. I waited in vain and 45 minutes later he was still hiding in his boat. So I walked over and took a picture of the bow of his boat knowing this would draw him out.
A drunken disarrayed man with a grizzly beard peered his bleary eyes out and asked what was going on. I told him that where I came from a man would at least come over and apologize but I could see he was not much of a man. He started to speak and I told him I did not want to hear anything now because I was too mad and I walked off to join all our fellow boaters under the pavilion for afternoon refreshments. I had an unopened long necked Corona pony in my hand.
Just as I got to the others, here he came staggering up the dock and headed in my direction. Now a certain Navy man in Washington, DC who was with me one night in a Georgetown bar will tell you that I am not one to go to a bar fight unarmed. I picked up that Corona by the neck and held it by my side and moved out to meet my adversary. Before he could make any move I measured him for a lick that would take him out and pulled back the bottle. I then said to him that he did not want to mess with me because I can be one mean SOB when I have to. He looked at the bottle and I saw all the fight go out of him. All of this was witnessed by a table full of boaters and not a one could say a word. They figured I had gone completely crazy.
Soon the man was telling me all his troubles. He had just driven his truck 750 miles straight through the night and his alternator quit and he was exhausted and the dockhands were to blame and the cow went dry. I merely said perhaps you should not have been trying to drive a boat today. I eventually got his belated apology and I put out my hand and said forget it. Crisis averted and I am not blogging from a Canadian jail. For those of you who think this is a prank just ask the Admiral.
I tell you the days just get wilder as we get closer to Chicago.
Another contest. Look at this object I purchased today from an African art store. It is handmade by refugees fleeing some civil war. I was attracted to it and bought it over all protests that we did not need it on the boat. It is never a matter of need but of desire to possess art. Now who can tell me what practical purpose it serves. First correct answer wins a prize. Previous prize winners are ineligible.
Now if you are real good and do not spill your coffee on the cat causing it to knock over the sugar bowl, I will soon tell you about the South African Consulate and the ride through the Little Current Swing Bridge.
