Ian McColgin
07-05-2007, 08:35 AM
The Kedgers’ Club had a wonderful raft-up on Tuesday for the Oyster Harbors Clubs utterly marvelous fireworks.
MaryEllen, Marmalade and I had a lovely sail around taking barely an hour and a half to utilize the southeast Moderate Breeze (Force 4). Marmalade’s cabin was strewn with tools from installing the AirHead on Monday. Once we got rafted up, I went back to that chore, people drifted about, and the party moved on.
We had Cara Dona, Otter, Sea Change, Sanderling, Marmalade and I-can’t-remember-her-name. One regular Kedger motored in aboard his mother’s speed boat, a cabin cruiser with the complete Beach Boys oeuvre and a sound system worthy of that latched on to the far from us end, and a boat load of previously unidentified women, attracted by the sixties surf sound and looking to get lucky piled in.
Everyone was fascinated by the AirHead and I gave a dozen tours.
We were moored right on the boundary the Harbor Master had marked nice and close – so close we really looked up, straight up. The air was moving just enough that the smoke from the barge could drift just east of us. Some of the volleys managed to illuminate the parabolic arcs of smoke from previous volleys to nearly hallucinatory effect. And these pyrotechnicians, who have worked Cotuit Bay for years, did their usual sterling job of playing the echoes with nifty tones and rhythms.
The bursts were pretty low – highest maybe 1,000’, but the clinkers that hit us while still warm were not dangerous.
After the display, the Beach Boys really cranked. I boat-hopped over while Mary Ellen stayed at peace on Marmalade but it’s not as if I were unchaperoned – she could hear all. Ah well, I can do the charming flirtation but I’m the oldest, poorest and only WoodenBoatHead in the fleet and besides, half the good berth on Marmalade was already taken and women under 40 no longer interest me quite as much as before. I shook it up a little and retired with my dignity and sobriety in tact. Stopping at each boat on the way to Marmalade for a drop of the good and a bit of conversation.
From Marmalade we managed to dissuade the boat whose name I’m still forgetting from leaving that night. The crew had an 1100 race start the next morning. We convinced them that an 0600 departure would work better than plunging uncertainly out the Cotuit Bay shoals on a dropping tide with sensory impairments.
One Kedger could not make it past a neighboring companionway but his wife was understanding as we wrapped him in a blanket and we were all derisory when he sought aspirin the next morning.
Several of the boats are taking the week to cruise so the morning chatter was about whether a good spot could be found in Vineyard Haven and whether it was worth smashing into the rising southwesterly and how comfortable it would be with two days forecasts a bit snotty and we want to raft up for the Hyannis display on Friday and on and on. I think they came back here to the Cove.
Our sail home yesterday was fabulous. We had a Fresh to Strong Breeze from the southwest giving us 6-1/2 knots and more with one reef. We broke the speed limit leaving a big wake roaring through the Sepuit and then got in a bit of surfing in the open Sound. We counted coup (boom dip into water) quite a few times due to the steep chop. Got to Hyannis in time to view the boat parade at 1300 but we could not get space at Baxter’s for an afternoon clam plate and libation as there was a raft of silly power boats laying broadside rather than stern-to.
So it ended with a relaxed afternoon on the mooring dozing through minor chores, reading, and remarking on the sailing skills of any who ventured forth. Especially the Wianno fleet as they roared home in the late afternoon, all Wianno wet and frothy.
A glorious time.
MaryEllen, Marmalade and I had a lovely sail around taking barely an hour and a half to utilize the southeast Moderate Breeze (Force 4). Marmalade’s cabin was strewn with tools from installing the AirHead on Monday. Once we got rafted up, I went back to that chore, people drifted about, and the party moved on.
We had Cara Dona, Otter, Sea Change, Sanderling, Marmalade and I-can’t-remember-her-name. One regular Kedger motored in aboard his mother’s speed boat, a cabin cruiser with the complete Beach Boys oeuvre and a sound system worthy of that latched on to the far from us end, and a boat load of previously unidentified women, attracted by the sixties surf sound and looking to get lucky piled in.
Everyone was fascinated by the AirHead and I gave a dozen tours.
We were moored right on the boundary the Harbor Master had marked nice and close – so close we really looked up, straight up. The air was moving just enough that the smoke from the barge could drift just east of us. Some of the volleys managed to illuminate the parabolic arcs of smoke from previous volleys to nearly hallucinatory effect. And these pyrotechnicians, who have worked Cotuit Bay for years, did their usual sterling job of playing the echoes with nifty tones and rhythms.
The bursts were pretty low – highest maybe 1,000’, but the clinkers that hit us while still warm were not dangerous.
After the display, the Beach Boys really cranked. I boat-hopped over while Mary Ellen stayed at peace on Marmalade but it’s not as if I were unchaperoned – she could hear all. Ah well, I can do the charming flirtation but I’m the oldest, poorest and only WoodenBoatHead in the fleet and besides, half the good berth on Marmalade was already taken and women under 40 no longer interest me quite as much as before. I shook it up a little and retired with my dignity and sobriety in tact. Stopping at each boat on the way to Marmalade for a drop of the good and a bit of conversation.
From Marmalade we managed to dissuade the boat whose name I’m still forgetting from leaving that night. The crew had an 1100 race start the next morning. We convinced them that an 0600 departure would work better than plunging uncertainly out the Cotuit Bay shoals on a dropping tide with sensory impairments.
One Kedger could not make it past a neighboring companionway but his wife was understanding as we wrapped him in a blanket and we were all derisory when he sought aspirin the next morning.
Several of the boats are taking the week to cruise so the morning chatter was about whether a good spot could be found in Vineyard Haven and whether it was worth smashing into the rising southwesterly and how comfortable it would be with two days forecasts a bit snotty and we want to raft up for the Hyannis display on Friday and on and on. I think they came back here to the Cove.
Our sail home yesterday was fabulous. We had a Fresh to Strong Breeze from the southwest giving us 6-1/2 knots and more with one reef. We broke the speed limit leaving a big wake roaring through the Sepuit and then got in a bit of surfing in the open Sound. We counted coup (boom dip into water) quite a few times due to the steep chop. Got to Hyannis in time to view the boat parade at 1300 but we could not get space at Baxter’s for an afternoon clam plate and libation as there was a raft of silly power boats laying broadside rather than stern-to.
So it ended with a relaxed afternoon on the mooring dozing through minor chores, reading, and remarking on the sailing skills of any who ventured forth. Especially the Wianno fleet as they roared home in the late afternoon, all Wianno wet and frothy.
A glorious time.