Dramatic

Many of my blog entries are, well let’s just say, dramatic. They consist of unruly seas and high winds, of engine breakdowns and electrical outages, of hiding from tropical storms and hurricanes. I have discussed extended cold and rain, water and electric shortages, and for that matter, toilet malfunctions and overflowing holding tanks. I have become lost and disoriented, had multiple hard landing onto docks, and spent days cruising in fog so thick that the bow is barely visible.

There have been noteworthy encounters with various custom officials. I admit to a few shouting matches with boatyard staff. And to be truthful, more than one self-incrimination for attempting the upgrade or repair of something that I was not qualified - despite much preparation and study - to complete. 

 

Carrie Rose is a well behaved boat. She sips diesel out of the tank when running slowly. When power is needed, I can count on her 210 hp turbo diesel to spin the large four bladed propellor and know that she will immediately respond. There is no denying that she is a wet boat when powering into a head sea. And in a confused beam sea she is equally confused inside and I wish for a seat belt. Following seas love to push the eleven foot wide flat transom around enough to render the autopilot useless.

 

At anchor she has a tendency to waddle making me search for my mal de mere remedies. And in a heavy wind she sails 180 degrees to the port and starboard making for an uncomfortable night at watch trusting that the anchor will not break free. 

 

You might be wondering, as I do sometimes, why we return each year for another season, and I contend that it is the drama that keeps us coming back. Boats are dramatic. The Great Lakes, the Canadian and American Canals, the many rivers and locks, and the Atlantic Ocean are dramatic. The history, the scenery, and if you can believe it, the geology is dramatic.

 

And the people are dramatic, though in a subdued way. They are each on a mission. A mission, or maybe goal is a better word, that they have dreamed of and prepared for over a lifetime. I say subdued because despite my machinations in the above paragraphs most cruising folk do not crave drama on the water. A boring days passage, a glass of wine at anchor, a tasty meal and a restful sleep are the ideal. 

 

So, the time and money spent in preparation are an attempt to further the above. It is a difficult and at the same time, a satisfying task. It only takes one magical moment to justify the blood, sweat and tears. It is then that the melodramatic is transformed into the dramatic!

November 2022