YACHT CLUBS OF MARYLAND

scuttlebutt and spindrift

                                            by "Salty sam the sea dog"

[Editor's Note:  "Scuttlebutt and Spindrift" will be a regular feature on this website and will contain the mutterings of Salty Sam, a wise but crusty old sea captain who loves gossip and is never afraid to use his sharp tongue to speak his mind about the fun and foibles of his shipmates around the Bay!!]

Ahoy There!  Breaking News!  The Skunk Flag has been won by a member of Bodkin YC!  Below is my message given at the Bodkin YC Opening on May 15th, 2008. 

“Commodore, Officers, Members, and Guests of Bodkin Yacht Club, By Royal Order of Good King Neptune, by popular demand of Wharf Rats from Bodkin Yacht Club, Salty Sam, upon careful consideration of Wharf Rat claims, notwithstanding actual facts that might otherwise prove inconvenient, and after consumption of many beverages supplied by said Wharf Rats, finds that a another member of Bodkin Yacht Club has attained glory and distinction. 

It seems this fine fellow one day last boating season decided to provide his first mate with a very memorable birthday.  Being experienced and wise about good ports and waterfront haunts around the Chesapeake Bay, our experienced captain figured a great gift might be crabs at Waterman's in Rock Hall.  Salty thinks you would all agree that sounds like a damn fine use of a boat and sure enough, our captain set out for a leisurely afternoon on the bay.  So far so good.

After enjoying many fine crabs and toasts to his first mate's birthday, our captain set out once again across the bay destined for home port.  As many cautious Captains have done before him, this Bodkin member headed south from Rock Hall to get below the bar before turning west toward Bodkin Creek.  So far you might be thinking what a careful and thoughtful fellow.  Surely his boat hasn’t a scratch on it while groundings are for foolhardy captains and certainly not he!

After all, our captain has been boating in this area for some 20 years and he was most confident that day that his navigational skills would ensure a safe arrival.  Here is where it gets tricky.  Salty and the Wharf Rats figure our good Captain may not have remembered that his cautious course from Rock Hall would place him somewhat south of Bodkin Point.  We return to our story with the Birthday Barge running toward home in broad daylight and with full GPS instrumentation. Unfortunately for our captain, the boat was zooming along on a line south of green day marker 5 instead of east of green can 1 which is the preferred entrance path.  (Bodkin Captains nodding wisely at this point)  Our masterful mariner must have forgotten the history of Bodkin Point and why there are no less than 7 green entry markers to the creek and only 1 red day marker.  Seein’ all those green markers would leave most folks with even the most minimal of nautical knowledge wondering what was up.  Yep, could be something really bad for boats over there.  Let’s See . . .Red Right Returning, Green right bad??

Alas, perhaps the beverages at Waterman’s in Rock Hall were just too good or it was a case of GPS hypnosis, because on full plane and with not a care in mind as our captain zeroed in on Bodkin Creek, stuff happened.   Stuff happened to the tune of grinding crunching and other disturbing sounds from the bottom of the boat.  Things went from bad to worse as inspection of the engine compartment revealed water levels in the engine room which were a wee bit higher than normal.  Well actually a LOT higher than normal and rising.  Fortunately, by some miracle, the boat could still move and was able to limp back into the proper channel and head into Bodkin Creek.  After calling ashore for help, a quick decision was made to run the boat aground at red 12 just south of Ventnor Marina because the boat wasn’t rigged for Dive and the 1st Mate did not want Run Silent, Run Deep as part of her birthday celebrations.  Just as final preparations were made to beach the birthday barge, the Tow Boat arrived and managed to get pumps aboard.  Rescue and a ¾ mile tow to Pleasure Cove Marina were quickly obtained for a mere $8000.  Wow, what a deal!  Clearly, this captain is as good at negotiating as he is at piloting a boat.  The Birthday Bash wound to a close as the boat was hoisted up to reveal some interesting metallic artwork that may have once been propellers.  Is it art? Is it a lawn ornament? Maybe it is a new traveling yacht award to honor extraordinary achievement in boat piloting and navigation.

So, for Creative Crashing into Craft Consuming Crap due to Mindless Missing of Many Markers, the Skunk Flag of the Bay is hereby transferred from Pyromaniac P/C “Come on Baby Light my Fire” Keefe  to R/C “I’ll have mine on the Rocks” Chuck alias “Rocky” Ervin.”

Please send your news, items of interest, stories, and skunk flag nominations to V/C Joe Hellner.  He usually knows where to find me.  Till next Port of Call, always remember, those who don’t make mistakes must not be doing anything!

Home | Navigation | Webmaster