Happy
Holidays from Let's Dance! The final voyage of 2012 is a wrap and we
now have over 11,000 nautical miles under our combined life belts.
Almost three years aboard Let's Dance and we have seen some sights
and had some fun. We've added a few more items to the list of TWL's,
too.
We
have learned, for example, that anchoring after dark has its perils.
One night, on our way north, we ran late and had to anchor in the
dark at a nice, familiar anchorage near Solomons, MD. Finding just
the right spot was a bit tricky, but we settled in finally. At first
light, after a lovely, calm night, Bill went out on deck to discover
this shore sign just off our starboard bow: "Warning:
Submerged High Voltage Cable. Do Not Anchor." Well, really! If
they feel so strongly about not anchoring, they should light their
silly sign! Although, I suppose that we could have lit up the area
pretty well had we snagged the underwater cable!
This
fall semester, however, in the lessons of Let's Dance, our major was
'Bridge Theory and Practice.' It turns out that there are all sorts
of bridges in this world....lift bridges, pontoon bridges, swing
bridges, bascule bridges, and of course, railroad bridges. Every
bridge has a bridge tender and there are all sorts of bridge tenders,
too....some friendly, some cranky, some fast, some pokey. On the 53
mile stretch of intracoastal water between Coinjock, NC and Norfolk,
VA there are seven bridges, seven bridge tenders and one lock.
(Locks don't have actual tenders; they have "attendants.")
Some bridges open only on the hour, some only on the half hour, some
both, some only on demand, some only in conjunction with the one
before or after. It's exhausting just to contemplate the potential
combinations.
A
course in Marine Mathematics would be useful to accurately time the
series of low bridge openings to be navigated in one day. On "The
Day of the Bridges", we started our calculations early,
creating a detailed chart that included bridge name, opening times,
mile marker on the ICW, distance between bridges, speed of Let's
Dance, current, tide, etc., etc.
If
you hit the North Landing Bridge (not literally, of course) at 12
noon, you can make the Centerville Turnpike Bridge opening at 1300
hours. The Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge is usually open at mile
13.9, so if you keep your speed you can make the top of the hour
opening for the Great Bridge. Whew! This bridge is timed to
coordinate with the Great Bridge Lock, so there's a short breather
before you head back into the swim. At 6.3 knots, Let's Dance can
cover the 3.1 statute miles between the Steel Bridge and the
Gilmerton Lift Bridge for its last opening on the half hour before
closing for rush hour. With dogged persistence and a calculator, we
made all bridge openings with only a few short waits and no frayed
tempers.
Because
Hurricane Sandy churned up the Atlantic Ocean on her rampage north,
we were unable to make our return voyage outside the ICW (much to
Captain Bill's chagrin.) So, you guessed it -- our trip home
included the dreaded bridges in reverse order. With our "Day of
the Bridges" chart in hand, a calculator and a good dose of
patience, we get an early start out of Norfolk.
At
the first obstacle, the Gilmerton Lift Bridge, we encounter a fleet
of boats milling about in anticipation of the 0830 opening. It is
0815 hours. There is radio chatter among the group indicating that
the bridge did not make its 0730 opening. Hmmmm. A railroad bridge
directly beyond the Gilmerton Lift Bridge (normally left in the "up"
position) appears to be stuck down, and without it going up, the
Gilmerton has no reason to open -- no one can pass in either
direction. Boaters are pretty laid back, but tempers are warming as
the 22 would-be southbound boats zig and zag to stay clear of each
other. Idle forward, idle reverse, bump to port, bump to
starboard.....there are only so many configurations and figure eights
that these boats, from 20 to over 80 feet in length, can execute and
still remain cool. More radio chatter, and the harried bridge tender
finally reveals that apparently the railroad bridge has been the
victim of an act of sabotage! Some sneaky thief has ripped out a
patch of copper wiring rendering the lift mechanism impotent.
We
consider bailing back to Norfolk, but decide to linger for a bit
longer to watch the show and soon are rewarded with the happy news
that the railroad bridge mechanism has been repaired and the
Gilmerton will be lifted shortly. The relieved bridge tender
requests all boats to come closer, double up if necessary and be
ready to proceed under the bridge as soon as she raises it. We are
at the back of the pack. We oblige. We wait. We wonder. Nothing
happens. She soon comes back over the radio with the sad news that
now her bridge won't open! More sabotage? Possible chicanery? We
don't know, but there are now over 25 boats, none of which can shimmy
under the bridge span, bobbing and weaving in the narrow river. An
electrician is miraculously located on this Sunday morning and at
1020 hours the Gilmerton is finally opened to waterway traffic.
Now,
of course, all mariners are behind schedule for the remainder of the
bridges. The fastest contestants, the sport fishing boats, race
ahead, followed more sedately by the sailboats and yachts.
Snail-like trawlers, such as Let's Dance, bring up the rear of the
line and we are next to last to arrive back at the marina in
Coinjock. Luckily we have a reservation, as several boats have had
to raft up to each other to spend the night. What a day!
The
following days of the 2012 fall cruise had more bridges in store for
us -- the Surf City Bridge, the Wrightsville Beach Bridge, the Little
River Swing Bridge, the Barefoot Landing Swing Bridge and the Ben
Sawyer (no fun!) Bridge. Always polite, Captain Bill hails the Ben
Sawyer with a request for their next opening, knowing that they open
only upon request. Well, the bridge tender woke up on the wrong side
of the berth and asked snidely, "How tall are you?" Bill
replies, "Thirty-nine feet." She then says, "Huh, you
don't look that tall. Why don't you take down your antennas?"
"No can do" is the Captain's comeback, so the tender tells
us to cool our keel a while and she will let us know when she's ready
to open. Not nice! We turn to head back upstream to dawdle and
promptly run aground in the narrow channel. A few pumps in reverse
combined with a little thrust to port and we are back afloat for the
timely arrival of another downstream boat. Miss Snippy Tender now
deigns to let us pass and we are well rid of her and her Ben Sawyer
Bridge.
Another
day, on a happier note, the Wapoo Creek Bridge tender was delightful.
We request her first opening of the day, 0900 hours, and she says,
"Name of your boat, please." At Bill's declaration, "Let's
Dance!", she shyly replies, "Why, yes, I'd love to!"
And
so we have added to the ever expanding list of TWL's (Things We've
Learned) on this, the last trip of 2012....
....sailboats
like to be pulled off sandbars by lines from the top of their masts
....deer
and otters wait patiently for boats to pass before swimming across the ICW
....rudder
alarms need immediate attention to avoid going in circles
....there
is a "Dipping Vat Creek" on the chart of North Carolina,
truly
...."catch
you on the two" translates "let's pass starboard to
starboard"
All
this and more -- Washington and Baltimore are great when tourists are
few and the weather is perfect. Our timing was superb! Now all that
remains for December is prepping for the next passage -- The Ragged
Islands! And, best of all, of course, the celebration of Christmas
with family and friends. We wish you peace and joy from the heart of
Let's
Dance......Carol and Bill
