We're Aground!

Hi kids!

Well, we really did it this time. We were boogying down the old
intracoastal waterway, minding our business and marveling at the tons
of egrets, pelicans, turkey vultures, terns and ospreys we were seeing
when, WHAM! A dolphin surfaced and blew his air out! It was a real
surprise because 1) we are miles from the ocean in 12' of water (I had
no idea they came into places like this) and B) it was really loud!
(he was only a couple feet from the boat)

A little while later I saw a bunch of water being thrashed around and
splashed in the air up ahead along the side of the waterway. There
are places down here called Alligator River and Alligator Bay and
Alligator Creek so we figured it might be an alligator. I stopped the
boat to see. Jen got the binoculars out but by then the commotion was
over and we didn't see any alligator. I went to put the boat in gear
and NOTHING! The gear shift mechanism was kaput! This darn waterway
is so narrow, the wind and current were so strong that before we could
get a sail up or the anchor down we were aground, nose right into the
mud at the side of the channel.

The boat was pointing directly downwind so there was no way to sail
her out. This all happened at full high tide (wouldn't you just know
it) so there was no hope of waiting for the tide to float her off and
no time to waste, since the ebbing tide would leave her high and dry
and tip her way over. I put the engine in gear by hand and tried
backing her off. Nothing. We tossed out an anchor over the stern and
tried 'kedging' her out by pulling on the anchor rope to pull her
backward while I ran the engine hard. Nothing. We tried taking the
anchor way out to the side with the dinghy, attaching it to the rope
that pulls up the sail (the main halyard) and pulling hard to tip the
boat over so it would come out. Nothing. While I was fiddling around
with the dinghy Jen saw the dolphin's fin and started yelling Shark!
Shark! Thanks a lot, Angel Jen. Just what I need. A stuck boat and a
heart attack. But it was an honest mistake.

We were really and truly stuck. I had to call a man with a tow boat
to pull us out. Boy, was that expensive!

After he pulled us out of the mud with his power boat we anchored in
the middle of the channel to pay him. After he left we pulled the
anchor out to go Then the engine stopped. I had to drop anchor anchor
again real quick and go bleed the fuel lines. By now it was about
dark. We were miles and miles from anyplace to tie the boat up. We
had to drive the boat through the dark using the chartplotter and
radar. The lighted navigational aids were almost two miles apart, the
channel was narrow and shallow. We were really nerved up with this
situation, I tell you.

When we got to the place to tie up the boat we had to sneak into a
curving side channel even more narrow, navigate around a bunch of
other boats and land against a dock in the dark with no lights on the
boat or the dock and no reverse gear to slow the boat down. I'm
telling you!

We made it. We snuck in slow and slid her up next to the dock, tied
her up and said, 'Whew!'. Were we ever glad THAT was over!

And through all that excitement not an angry word was spoken between
Angel Jen and I. We hollered, true, but just to make ourselves clear.
It's great to work with someone who can help when things go wrong and
who can figure out what to do next without yelling, 'You stupid head!'
or something. Angel Jen is a good old girl. And after it was over I
told her so. She said,'I think I'll keep you.'

Ain't she sweet?

Here's Angel Jen having a glass of soda under the Fat Tire sign in a
place where we ate the other day. I think I'll keep her, too.