In which is takes a crowbar and $40 to get us off the damn dock...
Our morning began with the daily train. Just what one expects to see right by their dock:
Rick wasn't feeling it - but I was determined to get us out of New Bern... So we started wrapping up the lines and approx 40 thousand fenders Rick had deployed during Hurricane Isaias. We disconnected the water and power, we started the engine. The depth gauge didn't work... Of course it didn't. We have the hugest, most shallow body of water to cross to get to Oriental NC. It will be critical to know our depth. (What ever did Columbus do?)
There was some anxiety, some deep breathing exercises, some cursing - Rick tried all the tricks he knows (and, it must be said, stayed good-humored). In the end he called a random mechanic that he found on the internet - who happened to be on the dock behind us! That was meant to be. The nameless (he had no business card - and it was hard to get a word in edgewise to ask his name) mechanic showed up - a grizzled old salt. But, as with airline pilots, I like our boat mechanics to have a little grey hair. He spent about 40 minutes crawling all over the boat with Rick, and managed to do it all without EVER ceasing to talk. Rick learned a bunch, and in the end just wiggling a bunch of wires did the trick. As it so often does. It was the best $40 we ever spent. There was some additional dithering, but I managed to get us underway. So it's Anchors Aweigh:
It was good to have a depth gauge. It's incredible that there can be water as far as you can see, and it's only 6' (or less - that's the important part) deep. It was an uneventful trip to Oriental, which was a plus because it was plenty eventful to dock there.
I can't even describe to you how narrow the slip was, how tiny the space to turn and back in and how many people found this event to be cocktail hour entertainment. The finger pier (the one that comes alongside the boat) was only 20' long. So in order to get off easily we needed to back in as that is where we disembark. I counseled bow-in, but Rick was determined and he SCHOOLED IT. The dock-master was very precise and calm with instructions, which I relayed to Rick via headset. And he spun the boat around, avoiding a boat at the public dock in front of us, and backed in - avoiding the boats on either side, and the pilings. It was just amazing. And by the time it was done he was shaking but triumphant. Too much time off the boat and too much time anticipating the worst. We need to have a conversation about this at a later time... Again, he is becoming the worst parts of me - worrying about things that haven't happened yet.
It was easy to walk around the town in about 20 minutes - so we did. The marina is the most happening place in town. This will be a good memory - nice people, pretty lawn to hang out on, friendly boats on either side...
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