ramblings from the "stove-up village idiot"

[windrose]

Where to begin.... much has transpired..

I guess to start with, we have had a local tragedy which weighs heavily on my mind....

Sunset cruises are a huge tourist attraction in and around Annapolis. Seems this older couple took a cruise to celebrate their 50th wedding annivarisay....they were up on deck of a 30' Cape Dory enjoying the sunset with a skipper who had just gotten his Captain's license. Unbeknownest to him, it is not at all uncommon for us to get a big squall suddenly in the afternoon, it simply looks like a haze on the horizon nothing threatening.... the bay is shallow, a little breeze makes a lot of fetch in short order. Locals have come to recognize that haze in the distance... it ain't distant long and is gone in short order, but here it comes so get ready!

Sadly the old man was lost overboard and a mayday was issued.... the Coasties were on the scene almost instantly but they were unable to locate the old man. The wife was taken to a local motel while they continued to look for the old man.. Just today they found the old guys remains. They sent an officer to see the wife....he informed her he had good news and bad news...she decided for the bad news first, certain that it must involve her husband.... Indeed, they had recovered his body and needed to know how to handle his remians; however, attached to it was an oyster with a beautiful $5000 pearl The wife replied "forward the pearl, and rebait the trap"

On a serious note, the local paper is doing an article about the boat, it is supposed to come out in the Tuesday edition, and subsequently put the spot light on DNR --which has made DNR take a more active role in stopping the chaos, 2 folks have moved their boats and their moorings.

I called about a slip, $3000 for the season, 1/3 mile from my mooring.....YIKES.

Have looked into all types of security, been working with some folks in Fla who have set up a good system for me for a mere $1300.... I have been working with a young man by the name of Shane Reed who knows his business and has been more than helpful.. still I have a "knee jerk" reaction ... then I think.... it is a one time "capitol expense" vs. the slip thing. Never thought I would be deciding on this...................... UUUGHHH http://www.voicealarm.com/

The kids in the hood are starting to squell on each other for the reward money I posted.... two names keep coming up.... one is 14 years old the other 16 years old... on a paddle boat, the boys hang with older boys who have built themselves a "tiki bar" out on their dock and dare and pay the younger boys for each boat they cut loose and "weigh in" consideration if the boat has been cut loose before .... I am letting DNR squeeze them...

I now have kedged the ol' gal all over South Creek, I am totally "stove-up"
and miserable... but refuse to get down.... it is too hard to get back up!! I have just hit the point I do not recover like I once did....man, that is a real bitch....in my mind, I am still 20 something...live hard, play hard.... I thought ice was for drinks.....YIKES!!!.... I have come to understand how much of the body is controlled by the shoulder and how long a 42 year old gal takes to heal, the results are not pretty!!!!

By the way, anybody wanna trade charts...looking for any safe anchorage in Nirvana in exchange for the charts of the Middle Chessie Bay...hey, it is a $59.95 value "with all the insider tips".

ARRGH, for the Coastie story.... I couldn't put it under it, you would know I was yanking on yer chain. ARRGH! ARRRGH! ARRRRRGH! The rest is true, life as I know it. ;-)

Regards from,
The "stove up village idiot"
aka: Ang

[Robert The Gray]

just know that as you sit stove-up, many of our thoughts are with you. it seems that there are many hazards to a vessel in shoal water, who would of thought that most of these dangers would be from the humans! good luck with your dealings with the young men. I wonder if donating a sailing dinghy to the "tiki hut crew" would teach them the value of a boat. then again they may just use it to harm more of what they must think are "rich peoples toys"

R.