If there’s one thing in my life that’s missing
It’s the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water
It’s kind of a special feeling
When you’re out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon like a lover
(Cool Change by The Little River Band)
“The Shain Gang” (or what ever our band name is to actually be) and spouses/significant others spent the evening cruising the Cape Cod Canal on Robs boat. It was a casual gathering which pleasantly turned into a sort of “team building” bonding trip. Rob (our boat captain and keyboard player), Nelly (his girlfriend for the past year) and Marcus (his 5 year old Golden Retriever) were our gracious hosts on his 32ft boat “Seascapes”. Joni (our drummer) and her husband Joe (master electrician & “Mr. Fixit”), Ken (our bass player) and his wife Nina (who used to be neighbors and best friends of Sue’s former/favorite boss), and Sue and I rounded out the crew. After friendly introductions and taste testing the hors d’ourves we embarked on our 3 hour tour (ok – it was actually 4 hours, but we were having fun!). Of course, being “Cape People” everyone else had plenty of good boating stories to tell and knew about boating rules such as “Red on right when returning”. Sue and I – being “Off Cape” landlubbers – only had canoeing stories and one old boating story about when I was 5 years old (look for this in “Growing Up At Nenna’s House”), but could readily contribute in the wedding planning conversations (Ken and Nina’s daughter will be getting married soon).
The weather was perfect (75 degrees at Monument Beach Marina), water was calm and boat traffic strangely absent (did everybody else know something that we didn’t? approaching monsoons? Power plant meltdowns?). We headed for the canal and approached as the train bridge was being raised – stroke of perfect timing that we got to watch it but not be delayed by it. Rob eased us gracefully along, pointing out various points of interest from his upper deck and newly upholstered (his own handiwork) captain’s chair – with his two new co-pilots on either side of him (Sue on the left – of course – lefty! - and Nelly on his right). The upper deck actually fit us all (except for Marcus who couldn’t climb the ladder) snuggly but comfortably. At the eastern end of the canal we opted to bypass the “Aqua Bar” and simply anchor off the southern jetty, watch the sun set, and enjoy the food & drink we brought. Of course there were the obligatory “Gilligan’s Island” references even though our cast & crew didn’t quite match up with theirs. OK – so Rob bears a slight resemblance to “The Professor” and Nelly could have easily put her hair in pony-tails and been Mary Ann and if Ken put on another 100 pounds he might pass himself off as “The Skipper”, but that would leave Sue & Nina to fight over who got to be the Movie Star or Mrs. Howell, and Marcus and I to be Gilligan and Mr. Howell (and me having no money and being tall and once-upon-a-time skinny would make me a lock as the 1st mate).
As we cheerfully conversed and bonded, the sun set and dusk took over the canal and fog took over the bay. Rob determined it was time to start the trek back and fired up the twin engines. Oddly enough, the upper deck lights, the flood light and GPS randomly decided to not work. After a near-miss with a channel marker buoy, we were on our way just ahead of a tug & barge. Properly gauging my interest level, Rob offered me a turn at the wheel and set the throttle for me. After a few minutes I got the feel of how the boat reacted and how much to turn the wheel and ride the wake of the barge. Maybe it's genetic or an "Ancestral Memory" thing, and Great Grandpa Billy Annis and Uncle Happy were smiling my way, but it all felt very natural. Before long, Rob relaxed and settled in next to Nelly and offered occasional words of advice and encouragement. Little did he know of the recurring images from “The Perfect Storm” I had going through my head as we mildly listed and lurched a couple of times. Steering a boat through the canal is actually work! (but fun) As Sue doesn’t actually like driving period, she was happy to let me have my fun – and Rob let me take us all the way back to within a hundred yards of the pier. He then proceeded to impress one and all with the ability to turn a 32 foot boat around backwards in a 35 foot space, and back into his slip without hitting any neighboring boats, pilings, or docks.
So with lots of happy “thank you’s” and “good byes” and promises of future excursions (and electrical wiring advice) we all made our separate ways home. Our “Community Building Mini-Retreat” a success, we are eager to get this band out of the water and on the road!
I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We live happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can to carry on
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
(Come Sail Away by Styx)
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