Day 69 - Ciara’s Gotcha day and Dock Angels
Oh wow, we slept well last night! Captain and I are nearing a week at anchor and have been saying how nice it is to just stay and not feel like we have to move. I remind myself that we moved almost daily for nearly five straight weeks as well.
Today is Ciara’s “gotcha day.” 8 years ago today she became ours and on the 12th we Christened her with about 40 of our friends and family. I remember that day so well. I was very green to sailing and had no clue. I was amazed watching Captain dock and sail her as if he had always known her. I have come a long way in this time for sure. When I talk to people, I can see their eyes glaze over when they stop understanding what I talking about and realize that I have been indoctrinated to all the sailor speak and no longer a stranger to all the stories and experiences that come with sailing. When I woke up this morning I was quickly reminded of an earlier time with Ciara. Jodi had texted me over night. While she left Mångata a few weeks ago while Brooks stayed to work on their boat, she is the one that texts us for him. She said we really needed to go back to shore this morning and chat with Penny and Justin as they are docked right next to Brooks and when they were talking last night Penny put some memory pieces together and realized we had met them before (even though we have been chatting with them all the previous day, we hadn’t made the connection). Back in 2019, two years into owning Ciara, our big summer trip was to Captain’s hometown of Port Washington. He had dreamed of sailing his own boat into his hometown port for years, even drawing a picture of Ciara passing the Port Washington Light house that hangs in our living room. We had Captain’s kids aboard and a special guest of his Uncle Brian. In what is now a distant memory our docking that day didn’t go as planned and Captain lost half of his ring finger in the process. After the incident we were able to get Ciara docked quickly and organized chaos ensued. The kids were much younger so there was giving them jobs to stay busy while re-assuring them dad was okay. There was his finger to find and re-cover while we waited for the EMT. But there was also this angel that descended upon us. Her boat was docked right near us and her son saw the whole ordeal. Before we knew it she was on our boat with a huge, well stocked, first aid kit. She tended to Captain while his uncle and I attended to everything else. When the EMT’s got to us, Captain was well bandaged and calm thanks to her heroic actions. Well, Penny is that person!!! Once Jodi told me all the memories came flooding back and sure enough she matched my memory.
We hurried to get on our dinghy as it wasn’t early morning anymore (we slept in!) and they were leaving today. Once on shore we all laughed and Captain and I were finally able to properly thank them! We brought them a bottle of wine! Ha! I’m so glad our paths crossed again, we knew we already like them before the memory and now everything makes good sense! I will say, however, Justin had old pictures from that day and we could see how “green” we were with our mis-matched fenders and how young the kids were. We have come a long way! And now we know our dock angel!
I also forgot to mention that Brooks, yesterday, had solved his engine issue! Over a week of nothing working, and really getting to know his fuel systems he found he just forgot to turn back on a valve! He had a flight home today so they can prep for Burning Man but I’m sure he was happy to leave Mångata in working order!
After we said our good-bye’s Captain and proceeded with normal routine. I wanted land coffee so we got that and gave Kona her Pup cup. We headed for the beach just to look but of course Kona found a small log and we played off the pier for a little since the waters have calmed significantly. She proudly carried her stick back to Ciara, gathering all the “awe’s” from strangers along the way.
We had a late breakfast and by early afternoon I wanted to walk to the beach a little more so we did. We walked the beach with Kona and picked ripe blackberries that covered the sides of the sand cliff walls. Captain’s med’s weren’t treating him well so we returned around 4pm so he could rest. I was still restless so I returned to shore by myself do some shopping! Something strange happened though, as I was window shopping, I found I didn’t really enjoy it all that much, especially by myself. So, I just walked back to the beach and found a lovely bench high on a small sand dune and just soaked in the sounds and smells. It is a stark realization to realize how little alone time one has on even a “larger” boat. I was able to let my mind rest in peace and also make some phone calls. It is really nice to talk to my parents.
I stayed at the beach until two sailboats I had been watching had come all the way in and walked back to Ciara. Captain had his feet up on deck as I approached. Both of those sail boats were now anchored, or trying to anchor near us. One boat was fine but the other one, a larger sailboat that we knew, as it had been at this marina for years before, but now has new (very young looking) owners. He had dropped his anchor extremely close to ours. There was no swing room and Captain had to pull out his line “My boat is made of steel and I have better insurance.” Thankfully he moved on but we stayed on deck and watched for nearly an hour as they attempted to find a place and properly lower the anchor. Captain went out once on the dinghy to help, but they seemed to know it all, so he left. He returned after they were all settled with a peace offering of beer which they accepted but Captain said they still seemed a bit cocky. Sailing and mother nature will humble them soon enough but I hope they figure things out better before them for their own sake.
Late evening came and we finally made Shepard’s pie for dinner. That has to be one of my most favorite freeze-dried additions this year. It is really simple to make, fast, filling and is a nice change in flavors. We headed to shore for a little more piracy of power and surfed the web for a bit before finally calling it a night well past midnight.
We will for sure be here another day. Crappy weather tomorrow. No worries, we are happy and content with lack of schedules and stress.
