Teddy climbs. He is on the chair. He is on the table. He is on Waverly's back. His little hands, little fingers pick berries
from Cherrios. He eats and sorts his
food objects like a professor. He is now
18 months old. He has a personality. He is engaged in life. He is spending the weekend with us !
For her fifth
season, Enchantress 's first trip starts with a blue sky and a warm day. The water is cold 46 and the air temp is
76. There is a breeze and a Force 5 wind,
exactly on the nose. We are with Jeff
and Terri who bravely come from Charlottesville to sail the Rappahannock's waters.
We are at high tide
but the North Wind has pushed the water out of the creek. We have 1/2 feet under the keel. We do not step up but walk across the dock to
the deck. Waverly likes it. Teddy likes
it. I am trying to remember if I paid
Tow Boat US 's fee this year.
We motor out to Broad creek with the new BC WR (Broad Creek
wreck marker) to starboard. We hit the
bottom! We are on the right side of channel. We drag for a few feet and then turn sharply into
the mid channel. The winter storms have created a new obstacle ! The water is so
clear that the edges are demarcated. I
only had to look ahead but I was staring at the chart plotter. A novice egghead mistake.
Looking ahead, the
water is so clear that I imagine we are seeing the Bay of John Smith. Several hundred years ago, the
underwater grass was like carpet to the oyster beds. Now there is only mud. Today it is clear mud.
Jeff is a natural
and he points us North. He loves life
and his smile is infectious. In fact, he
smiles all the time! He has been a Hobie
sailor from North Carolina and has a great plan to retire and sail to the
Caribbean. He has never sent his car to
a mechanic but has fixed and upgraded all of his vehicles. He is now fixing high end BMWs and Audi s in
his spare time. He has all the
attributes of a Cruiser. He has
mechanical wisdom, practical know how, but is a romantic, smitten by beautiful
sunsets and people.
Terri is his perfect
complement. She gazes across the Bay and
then the River, somewhat cold but game to Jeff's plans. After 29 years of marriage, they are like
teenagers in love. They are teenagers in love. Waverly would rather follow Jeff. Teddy is
charmed.
Enchantress is below
the bridge and the winds pick up to 20 knots apparent. The tacks are more violent but she is
responsive and turns thru the wind without a fuss. We are more reefed than we need to
be but we have Teddy and Waverly. Rather, we have a gameful Teddy and surefooted Waverly We are nervous grandparents
responsible for Teddy. We are more cautious. We, however, like Oreos and milk and subject Teddy to some new sugar highs.
 |
| "the VHF is non-operational" |
Still, we see few
boats on the first weekend of Spring.
Certainly no other sailboats are tacking upwind with a toddler and a
large dog. I admire young families
with children cruising and living their dream. They
are crazy brave and resilient ! Childcare is constant. Sailing is a jealous mistress.
We approach the
Irvington bridge and decide to motor sail.
The people above are hurrying to their destinations. We are lazily taking in the day and have to
make the Bridge Marina fore 5 pm. We are
the same people but worlds apart. Our
time sense is defined by wind and waves and hunger.
The Corrotoman river greets us with gentle wind. Enchantress glides along and she is now
playful. Each turn of the wheel is a caress and a gentle response. She is symbiotic, part of us, rather than
a vessel. Her batteries are however
groaning and we have to use manual winches.
The E90 display shuts down. We
power up the generator to see where are headed.
The North end of Urbanna Creek has shoaled in the past, and we realign
to the Southern border. I still have not
found my Boat US card but our VHF works.
We are in fine form.
Jeff takes us into
Urbanna Creek where Spring has awakened
the marinas on both sides. Mr. and
Mrs. Mullins has transformed the
venerable Bridge Marina. She is a
sparking gem. Mr. Mullins with a helpful
hand and warm smile greets us. Under his
grandson watchful eye, Mr. Mullins pull Enchantress into her slip. We feel like we just crossed an ocean but
we have just come up river.
Waverly bounds along
and enjoys every smell. The Bridge
marina's lounge and showers are like the Jefferson hotel. There is coffee in the morning and DOGNUTS ! The hospitality is Southern charm and the
people are kind and also interesting. We
are next to Gordon Lightfoot's old boat. We feel like we are in royal company.
We walk to Something
Different, and Teddy decorates the floor.
The home made ice cream and chocolate cashew cake is simply
stupendous. We retire early and Teddy
watches trailers of Trolls. I pass out.
Joan rocks him to sleep and we awake nine hours later to brilliant
clouds. We had all slept like Trolls drunk
with life.
So often in life, we
measure time by the clock. We should mark the passage of time by events.
Our time sense is rich when we fill our time with loving people and
meaningful passages. A journey up river with Terri, Jeff and
Waverly, Joan and Teddy seems like a
joyful ten year voyage rather than a weekend trip. Unexpected problems and how we solve them
define our character. Having laughter
and love and sharing common experiences grows love. We all have a kernel of common memory but we
all have different interpretations of the same life.
I am in love with
Joan, Terri, Jeff, Waverly and Teddy.
We climb on each other backs and into each others' hearts. We all have had a very difficult winter. We have many challenges ahead. Not all paths are filled with sunny days with
gentle zephyrs. Yet we cannot paralyze
ourselves with potential bad outcomes.
We cannot live in a fantasy world where everything is rosy. We only can wish for people who are loving
and kind that we can all cultivate and cherish. We hope for a stable world not filled with capricious happenings. We do not want foul weather but steady winds. Yet if bad weather comes, I wish you all are lucky enough to have friends and family that love and
cherish each other. We have each
others hearts and backs. We are crew
together. We endure the storms together.
