Brothers Only Tip-a-Few: October 2008

[Nota bene: Submission by Blue Stache]

Dateline - Norfolk, VA; 10.10.08
Discussions of the Brotherhood
Chesapeake Bay Table, BOC, USA

Even in the world of this highly disorganized group, adhering to a set of eight Principals, gently treading under the direction of 'The Guide', and bound by a Love of the Sea, interesting discussions of opinions and observations on the minds of the Captain and Crew of the Table are virtually determined to result in “understandings moving forward”. The content of these discussions become totally irrelevant in the company of Brothers – and therefore not repeated here – in the familiar surroundings of O’Sullivan’s Wharf – home of the nachos, wings and ‘golden nectar’.

Interesting to note, but far from unusual, all were in attendance less four, three were on boats of one sort or another, either in-shore or off-shore, on their or others run south for the year, and one was administering to a visit by his mother (who, by the way, has already attended a Table event by sea).

High participation, friendly faces, and great discussions do however lead to understandings of significant import. This Branle-bas was no exception with the most meaningful understanding being that we would all gather again, this time with Captives in hand, at the home of Brother Floater and Sook Jacque on November 22.

4th Annual Labor Day Raft-up

Labor Day...the unofficial end of summer. But in the Chesapeake it usually signals the transition into the last third of the warmer weather sailing season. As in the years before, our goal for this last warm-weather holiday weekend is to get away from the usual short-haul venues of the Hampton Roads areas of the southern Bay. Mobjack Bay is always a nice stop, a moderate distance to travel and four great rivers to choose from. While the East River is favored by many, it is known to have a good deal of boat traffic - fishing, water skiing tubing, jet skis and the like - on holiday weekends. Instead the boats of the Table were directed to Schoolhouse Point on the Severn River. The raft was scheduled to form in mid-afternoon. Most of the boats left the southern Bay at about the same time which started the weekend out as a long convoy.

Over the years the Chesapeake Table Brothers have become expert raft builders; the protocol and dynamics of the boats are well known by all. We can form or break down a raft so quickly that it seems like a magic act to the residents on the shore. Since we do it so often, our raft-ups are more of a community reformation...the same boats put together in slightly different configurations at different anchorages.

This raft-up was no exception. By 4 PM all boats were accounted for and the afternoon appetizers started filling the table on the back of Orza. No one starved: there was enough food and desserts for a transatlantic crossing! Grog in various forms flowed through the late afternoon into the evening which all agreed was occurring far too early. But the sun left behind clear skies and a canopy of stars that can only be appreciated in areas removed from the cities. As the evening wore on, a small party of stargazers gathered on the foredeck of Orza to enjoy the late summer constellations.

On Sunday morning, a communal breakfast was served around 10 AM. Shortly thereafter, the raft broke: it was unfortunate but several of the attendees had to return to home port for other Labor Day commitments. Five of the boats - Fresh Air, Maraj, Papy Jovial, Talisman and Tardis - decided to stay into Monday. The masted boats enjoyed some sailing in Mobjack Bay, proper, before heading over to the East River. We moved well up the river...anchoring north of Put-In Creek to avoid the wakes of the small boats headed to and from the boat ramp slightly into the creel. With Orza gone, Tardis took the honors of anchor boat.

It was another first: Diesel our (chihuahua) grandpuppy was on board Talisman for his first Brotherhood boucan. But having no formal boat training, he still had to be taken to shore for potty duty. Brother Bui offered his dinghy for transportation so, off we went to the boat ramp at Williams Wharf. On the way back, at full plane, his registration plates flipped over and were not readily visible by the local Conservation Officer (formerly known as a Game Warden) who turned on the blue lights and pulled us over. Now many don't understand that the role of the Conservation Officer has changed over the years: they have the same power as a State Trooper. Unfortunately for Bui, his rapid speed had knocked over a can of Miller Light and the distinctive smell was readily detectable. Now, some brothers dispute that Miller Light qualifies as beer but the Conservation Officer was clearly not in that camp. He was concerned about brother Bui's ability to pilot his craft and decided a test of his sobriety was in order. After a stunning, show of dexterity, Bui, Diesel and I were released on our recognizance to return to the raft.

With the excitement of the afternoon past, the raft occupants settled into preparing for another meal. Afterwards, we retired to Tardis' bridge to watch the brilliantly red sunset and partake of the (demon) rhum. Shortly after dark, a anxious power boater, in a hurry to return home, threw up a wake that wreaked havoc with the raft, Brother Bui's molded plastic chair collapsed under him and he hit the back of his head against rail so hard that he lost consciousness. We scrambled to his assistance as soon as we regain our footing. Fortunately, the only damage was a large bump on the back of his head.

Monday, we broke the raft and headed toward the mouth of the river with the promise of enough wind to blow us home. Unfortunately, that promise was broken. We powered home the last half of the trip arriving with enough time to enjoy another nice meal on our water home before heading to our land based home.