Then....T E N S I O N....started to build.
The ROCK PILE - an ICW of only about 6 miles and only 2 of those are "the most hazardous of the ICW."
Our first "words" as my dad would say was when David wanted to go fast to get through the Rock Pile before low tide, when last night we'd planned to start the Rock Pile at mid tide so water would be rising on our behalf. As it turned out we went through at high tide. Thus, it didn't look narrow and shallow with all sorts of ROCKS lurking under the surface. We just KNEW, from past experience, that it was narrow, shallow and rocky.
No matter what or when, going through the Rock Pile is just a stressful experience. You have to watch the depth sounder, and watch for traffic coming and going, and watch the shoreline, and watch the magenta line. Our chartS, both of them, are just fluky. At one point the magenta line (on the electronic chart, the preferred and recommended pathway) was totally drawn on land rather than in the water. Another point on the electronic chart the "white"channel path was suddenly a half inch to the left, no curve, no transition. It had just moved, over there. GRIT MY TEETH and TIGHTEN MY JAW and SNAP AT ANYTHING. I was at the helm through the pre-Rock Pile and almost-Rock Pile, and Rock Pile, and OMG now we're at the-most-dangerous-part-of-Rock Pile.
Many sections have houses, estates, that are formal, ostentatious and sterile...dead palm trees (they need a lot of water!) or no trees. Hard lines. Lots of golf courses built along the edge of the steep embankment, steep because the canal was cut, literally, from solid rock...dirt added to accommodate vegetation of any sort on the embankment. Now, decades later, rock is falling away into the water, thus, Rock Pile.
We managed the Rock Pile with a couple of scares and a couple of "Jesus Christ"s and some "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. Stay in deep water"s. We're becoming more willing to express ourselves at a loud volume than in weeks or years past.
When through the Rock Pile, David took the helm. His tense spots of helming were in shoaling areas, including the one from two years ago when we ran aground and lay on our side for several hours...the place that I said I was taking the cat and getting in the dinghy (it was level, at least) and then realized that the water was only 4' deep so drowning the boat and us was not likely to happen.
We got to the Holden Beach Town Dock and read that we needed a reservation. Now THAT information was NOT on the Active Captain app that we use to search for dockage or moorings. So phone calls and then a walk to the police station that was closed...the doors were locked but an officer told me he knew nothing about reservations but that he was trying to figure out his deceased parents insurance policies. Oh. Okay. But "the officer coming on in 1/2 hour might know more." Okay, I'm staying on the dock and will check in with her.
So we did. The tying up to the dock was a little sketchy, stressful. The current was swift. We were secure but decided to move, walk the boat back holding her by her dock lines. Okay walking back. I tied the bow off then.... what? David decided to take her forward but I'd tied the bow so the stern went out and the bow twisted in??? and I thought "WTF are you doing NOW?" but GRIT MY TEETH instead of expressing myself in a loud voice. David confessed that he'd made that decision - to move forward again - to himself and had not shared with me.
So then I took a walk to the police station to meet the new police office who might know about the reservation. She did.
Another boat, Mr. Lopez's, had a reservation but the dock could accommodate both of our boats. She would bring the paper work down to me since I had to go help David move the boat back again...to accommodate the additional boat. (Not the barge and tug to the right that passed our last night's dock.) Officer (Jessica) came and visited and chatted and chatted, lovely really but maybe 8 minutes too long, for about 45 minutes. I completed the paperwork, wrote a check, gave her some cat treats that Amelia eats and then throws up and she was on her way. David and I had dinner. Phew! What a day!!!
Post dinner, just now, the other boat arrived. A regular sail boat of about 38'. Both of us went out to help it dock in the dark and what got off the boat?!? A newly married bride and groom in their wedding finery!!! The captain said they thought it would be a great way to leave the wedding. Indeed. So the bride and groom got off the boat and said goodbye to the captain and friends. We came back to our boat. The "wedding get away boat" will stay on the dock tonight. A gent just knocked on our door to thank us. Sweet. Love.
David is drawing a potential layout for galley renovations. OMG. My brain hurts and I've already finished my murder mystery. What to do?
I'll just notice that David and I had a bunch of mis-communications today. That might be tiredness and it might be assumptions - we assume the other knows what we're talking about or can make the leaps from topic to topic without our helping with nouns. Whatever, the lazy with our skills (?), it added to the tension and snappiness with each other. Our pressing to get to Morehead in the next 3-4 days is wearing on us. Shrug. Oh well, worse things have happened and we've survived to a place of thriving.
A beach walk tomorrow...in spite of cold temperatures!
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