Of course, we'll be glad to crew on his 48 ft. Selene. When? Right now or in thirty minutes.
I hurry to get ready, but leave the breakfast dishes in the sink.
Tym: First we need to go through the checklist, and Willie, your job is to read the list -- don't skip anything -- and Herb and I will tell you if it is done.
His checklist takes a while, because he has lots more buttons and stuff to ready. This takes a while.
To get the lines ready for casting off, we have to untie double lines. (I don't think a tsunami would rock her.) This takes a while.
Tym: Now, Herb, you take the helm, and Willie, you release the lines. Yes, you have to get on the dock to do this. Herb will keep her close for you to re-board.
Willie: OK, Cap'n, I'm sure I can handle it. In Willie's Tug I release my stern line from inside the cockpit, while Herb takes off the bow line.
Tym gives Herb an orientation on what response to expect while driving, and I resist as long as I can before asking him if he wants Herb to take her out of the slip. Sure!, he says.
The three of us stand in the pilothouse as we exit the slip and it just looks to me like this boat will wipe out all the boats in the slips on the next dock -- seems like a narrow fairway -- but looks are deceiving. I wonder how long it takes to get used to a bigger boat. I think Herb becomes comfortable right away, and we cruise toward the exit of the Cap Sante Marina.
Tym says we should go out into Guemes Channel a ways, turn around and come back. Herb asks him when he last cruised The Marmee, and did he think it would be a good idea to go out a little farther to exercise her, just in case there are some barnacles lurking around. Yeah, right, I'm thinking. Herb is having fun and I bet he just wants to drive the boat. We leave Cap Sante behind us and Herb cruises north alongside Guemes Island.
My job now is to take photos and I get one of the schooner, Adventuress. I wish she were sailing, instead of motoring.
Tym continues to instruct Herb, a willing student, but he wears his remote control on a string around his neck and laughs when he tells us the reason.
A nice feature is the rear view or backup camera. I see our wake now.
Without my Nikon to zoom, I get a photo of Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island, where we spent a few days recently.
We now cruise south on the west side of Guemes Island, and turn to port back into Guemes Channel. The Guemes Ferry is just leaving her dock on the island and we alter course a bit -- she does the same to avoid coming too close to each other.
Having been briefed on readying the lines for docking, I go to my post while Herb brings her to the dock.
Back aboard for Herb to write in the logbook, Tym whispers to me, shows me a slip of paper with the number 10 on it, and gives me a slip to score Herb, also. I write 10 on my paper, and when he comes down from the pilothouse, we show him the scores. He is very surprised, and thanks us!
The Marmee is secure at the dock, now turned bow in.
and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
Friday, July 28, 2017
Setting the hook? ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a BIGGGG boat!
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