A Tale of Two Chemists: Could it be?

Friday, October 19, 2012

Could it be?

Could it be? ... Friday 19 October 2012

We started the day by moving the boat to a different slip within the same marina. The first pass didn’t go quite as planned, so we motored out of the marina and back in. The second time we tried it from the other direction—getting the stern to go to port. This went quite smoothly and we came alongside the finger pier beautifully. Once we were tied up, we met a lovely couple, Eddie and Sandi, who gave us loads of helpful tips on close quarters maneuvers, crossing to the Bahamas, negotiating locks, safety at sea, etc. They have been living on their motor vessel, Tarquin, for the last 3 years and have lots of experience. [The name of their vessel is taken from the good luck charm bears that WWI pilots took with them on their missions.]

After mailing our ballots, we elected to take the ferry over to Portsmouth on the other side of the Elizabeth River. A Norfolk native told us that Portsmouth has more ‘original’ buildings near the waterfront. We strolled around and stumbled across a German restaurant. After our discussion of German delicacies with Klaus yesterday, it seemed like fate. The post-lunch stroll to the grocery store seemed much harder. Perhaps a few too many sausages were responsible.

We wandered back to the waterfront and picked up our propane tank from the excellent folks at “Mile Marker 0” marine supply. While waiting for the ferry we got talking to Larry and Wanda from Saint Louis. They wondered what we were doing with the propane tank. They were so impressed with the idea of the boat that they walked along to have a look at Cotinga.

Mike went out to take some photos before dinner and was telling me about all the people that he chatted with. While I’d like to believe that the two of us are undergoing a personality transformation, I am starting to think that people really are friendlier in other parts of the nation.

Gloria