I finished my job at the boat show last night and John will finish up tomorrow. They are tearing down today and tomorrow. I really enjoyed working at the ticket booths and filling in at the gates. I hope next year I will be healthy enough to work the entire show. It is interesting to meet all the people. There is a lot of drinking by the attendees and there were some accidents that involved people falling into the water. One guy by John's assigned gate at the powerboat show lost his $200 Raybans over the side and dove in after them forgetting that his Iphone was in his pocket. There were a couple more who fell in following some of the nightly vender parties and at 4 a.m. one morning a drunk teen jumped off the Spa Creek Bridge and could not be found however the boy's brother called the police and a helicopter was sent up to look for him so they had his name and they tracked him down the following day at his home. Pretty expensive drinking night.
The folks that attend the sailboat show in general are somewhat different than those who attend the powerboat show. More jewelry and high heeled shoes at the latter. The sailboaters tend to be less showy and to live more frugally although as sailboat people get older, if they can afford it, they turn to trawlers as they are easier to handle and offer more living space and personal living comforts then are found on the sailboats of comparable size . All the folks I met were very nice, fun to talk to and very much in a good mood and excited about going to the show. Most of the workers are sailboat cruisers but there are some trawler cruisers and some locals who live in Annapolis in houses but work the show every year. It is the boat show's 40th anniversary.
The winds were above 20 knots on Sat. and Sun. and we were concerned about leaving Spunky alone at anchor but had no choice as all the mooring balls were taken when we left the marina on Tuesday night. We were fine but another couple in the show received a call that their boat had dragged anchor and they had to leave quickly and return to rescue their boat. Fortunately someone saw what happened and thought to call the show office and fortunately their boat had not dragged into another boat or dock. When they pulled their anchor up to move, the anchor came up with an old battery attached that was on the bottom of Back Creek so it never actually dug in and held. They ended up finding an empty mooring ball on Spa Creek one creek closer to the show. They are smaller than we are and fit on more moorings than we do. That mooring field only takes boats up to 35 ft. Two other sailboats have moved into our small anchorage. One looks to be about 38 ft. and another came this morning and I guess it to be 42 ft. It is quite crowded now and if someone drags it could be a mess but the winds have died down and so I am comfortable all will go well. The Harbormaster has made three trips back here today already (at 2:30) to check on boats. This is a very busy time as a lot of boats are heading south and stop for a few days or so in Annapolis to get supplies or make repairs on their way.
Depending on when John finishes up with the show, we will provision with lots of canned goods as it is helpful to have the car to transport them. We are using our 2nd head (bathroom) to store all the provisions we are taking on and leaving our forward berth open for our friends Don and Jean who will be traveling with us for a bit on our way south. In addition, we have some engine problems that have to be addressed and two more doc appointments. Once all that is complete we will sell the car and be off for points south. We are leaving later then most which means colder weather but also fewer crowds to contend with. Although the destination anchorages in Florida will be more crowded by the time we arrive. I am learning not to anticipate problems and agonize about things over which I have no control.
Moose has been living high and in great comfort with our friends Anne and Michael. He did come down with a bladder infection and Anne went above and beyond and drove him to the vet for x-rays and meds. We were concerned that he might have another bout of bladder stones as he did about 4 years ago hence the caution and the blood work and x-rays. Cha-ching. It turns out it was just an infection and he is on antibiotics for 2 weeks. On Sat. Anne once again went out of her way and dropped him off for a spa day as his hair had grown down over his eyes and he resembled a small sheep dog. I am not sure he will want to return to the boat after his "vacation" time. Anne says that he has settled nicely into their routine and everyone loves him. One of her friends and neighbors brings her little dog Bailey over to play with Moose. I know he will greatly miss this more normal life.
It is truly fall here now. The leaves seemed to change overnight and they float by on the water. It is very pretty. We would leave for our days at the show while it was still dark in the a.m. and watch the sun rise. The sky has been beautiful all shades of pink. We had a double rainbow over the weekend while working and John tried to get a photo but could not get his phone camera to work in time to take the shot before the clouds moved back in.
We heard this morning that Haley and two friends were witness to a shooting in D.C. while waiting at a bus stop near Gallaudet on their way out for the evening. They were interviewed as witnesses by the police. It was very scary for them but they were not hurt just very frightened.
I hope this finds everyone well. Stay in touch as we love to hear from you.
