017 Night Run

On the morning of November 15^th, Sol Maria wanted to weigh anchor at 6:30 a.m., and since we were docked approximately two n/m away from them via a narrow and winding creek, we had to leave at 6:00 a.m.   But before that I had to take our garbage to the dumpster in pitch blackness.  Just as I approached the dumpster a pickup truck turned a corner with its lights shining on the dumpster and I saw back at me the bright red eyes of the devil himself (or herself, I don’t want to make assumptions).  Ok, it was just a raccoon on top of the garbage, but we each gave other a bit of fright.

Normally we wouldn’t leave the dock in such low light conditions (Author’s note: foreshadowing alert), but the Garmin chart plotter records your track, so we were able to follow yesterday’s track back without incident where we met up with Sol Maria and KatMat at anchor:

We did not discuss a destination for today's run, but Nancy and I assumed some nice anchorage that would get us safely anchored before sunset (4:40 p.m.).

We saw some interesting things along the way.   Lots of lake homes on the bank.  Not exactly our idea of where we’d want a lake house (too close to each other and not nestled in trees, but to each his/her own.)

 

A bit more of a scenic setting, tough shore access though:

Willie Dawes, who had left Green Turtle the day before us, texted us to be on the lookout at mile 178 for damage from the tornado that came through earlier that year:

https://www.weather.gov/ohx/20230401

You can tell from this picture how narrow the track of the devastation can be.  Houses on either side of a small path appeared unscathed.  There but by the grace of God, I guess.

 

That text from Willie Dawes proved eventful as it prompted a conversation between them and Sol Maria.  Willie Dawes told them that a) they had come down with Covid, and b) that they had found a great anchorage at Wolf Island.   Sol Maria called us to see if we were “game” to join them as it meant arriving at 7:30 p.m. which meant driving down a winding river, with tows, at night!   Fine for seasoned sailors like them, but I’m the guy who had to be towed off running aground a few days before!

In my flight training* I learned to trust your instruments so with the Garmin chart plotter now working, and a fully operational radar unit on Hygge, this was doable, but still.  After much discussion with KatMat, we decided to “go for it.”   

Well gentle reader, that river run from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., chart plotter and radar notwithstanding, was a bit nerve racking.  Pitch black.   Not I294 dark, more like middle of Death Valley black. Then again, you don’t learn and grow in skills without getting out of your comfort zone.   It was so dark that we could only see Sol Maria’s stern light just 1/16^th of a mile away.  The radar was a godsend as any car or house light on the bank could be mistaken for a stern light. 

When we approached the anchorage, the lack of depth perception caused by the lack of light caused some anxiety.    Sol Maria suggest that we just raft off to them.  They made the same offer to KatMat.  We were greatly relieved.    Once tied up to their starboard side, out came the rum and we climbed aboard their boat for a much-needed cocktail.

Now, the next morning we discovered that there was ample room for us to anchor without any issues, but the view in daylight was much clearer than at night.   Besides, we would have missed the great comradery had we not rafted up.

It was off to bed with “high fives” between Nancy and I that we had gotten out of our comfort zone and survived to tell the tale.

 

Dave

 

*Full disclosure:  I quit flying with less than 100 hours after the death in a plane crash of a dear friend in 2001 who had young children the same age as ours.  Attending that wake/funeral was sobering and I decided to stop flying until our children were at least college age.  When that time came, I failed my medical exam due to migraine headaches.   Taking beta-blockers daily would have mitigated the migraines and cleared me to pass the medical exam, but it wasn’t something I was willing to do, and by that time boating became a more interesting way to spend disposable income.   That said, I still love aviation and never have passed the opportunity to “take control” when offered the chance when flying with friends.  I actually de-briefed my grounding incident with a pilot buddy as there many similarities between the two activities, primarily the need to be "situationally aware" at all times.