Thursday, October 23, 2008

Tessa Update Part 9 , October 22,.…Finally! As we pulled up anchor at dawn this morning departing Annapolis, part of me was anxious to wave goodbye, part of me was already missing our wonderful new friends, and part of me was wondering what the h#*! were we thinkin doing shots of tequila like a bunch of 21 year olds at Armadillos last night! That pretty much sums up the ambivalent feelings of the last 19 days. We arrived at Back Creek in Annapolis on Friday afternoon, October 3, as the biggest NEWBIES ever. Tessa is so used to being the queen of PIB, and we suspected she was feeling as intimidated as Gary and I were when we searched for an area to drop anchor. Gary commented “This is going to take some getting used to” as I clicked my boat shoes together chanting “There’s no place like home”. We were completely overwhelmed with the chaos of Back Creek. When I heard we were anchoring in a creek, I envisioned a serene tree lined area with comfy little secluded coves. Isn’t that what a creek is??? NOT!! There were so many masts it appeared as though we were in a nightmare of pick-up-sticks. Oh did we wish for our familiar, safe, H ball at Put-In-Bay. OK, pick a spot and hope for the best. Saturday morning we met with Marci, the contact for show employment. As we are filling out the employment forms, I’m silently mouthing to Gary “OCTOBER 21st??? We can’t do that!?” And he is mouthing back “We’re already committed!” We certainly didn’t want to back-peddle, since our friends D & Don gave us a good recommendation, but we also knew we were committed to Jim and Missy from Myassis Dragon, who were planning to vacation with us from October 16 through November 2. In the blink of an eye, we are now both Sail and Power Boat Show indentured employees. We spent the rest of Saturday leisurely exploring Annapolis and drinking Painkillers at Pusser’s, although it was quite an eye-opening experience when we paid a tab that equaled our combined first day’s pay, which we hadn‘t yet earned. Now everything is in perspective. ***COMMERCIAL BREAK*** BOATERS!!! SAVE BIG $$$ ON MARINE SUPPLIES AND ELECTRONICS!!! http://www.frugalcaptain.com/ Call Captain Gary for a quote. 734-645-5361 Now back to our program... Gary was on duty before me on Sunday. He was very excited as he dinghyed away that morning, but we were both surprised at how much we did NOT want to be apart after being together 24/7 since September 1st. I used the time wisely by polishing stainless, sanding, and varnishing. HUGE MISTAKE. I had no clue my fingers would be raw, just in time to start erecting over 200 show tents the following day. What is wrong with this picture? I am the TALENT, not the LABOR CREW! Or at least I was, in my other life! And so it goes, a routine of 10 to 12 hour days, from dawn to dusk, doing the jobs that others did… before I used to show up in time to perch on a chair and chat with customers. Gary was on Floor Crew, I was on Tent Crew and, along with our co-workers, we built the Annapolis Boat Shows from bottom to top. After the first day, I literally begged Gary to get us out of this!!! I cried all the way back to Tessa in the dinghy. Gary insisted that we would enjoy the camaraderie and new friendships. I insisted that we had enough friends and we didn’t need any more f#*!#n* friends. Please don’t make me get up in the middle of the night 17 times, crawl into the damp dinghy, and use tools that I never ever wanted to know about. But, thanks to Gary’s optimism, we persevered. The most amazing part of it all was that everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves. WHY WOULD THESE PEOPLE VOLUNTARILY DO THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR?? Now, in hindsight, it all becomes clear. The camaraderie and new friendships are priceless. We learned so much from so many experienced cruisers and we met some of the most amazing people. The first morning I made a b-line to Starbucks and there began my friendship with Alice. You can’t meet Alice and not immediately begin laughing, even at 6:00 a.m. The best way to describe her is “a piece of work”. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. Her smile and laugh are so contagious that you start to wonder how one person could be so happy, especially while painfully erecting or folding tents. Her optimism and energy made the grueling work tolerable. Almost even fun at times! She drives a golf cart like a bumper car, and we laughed till we cried when she backed into something right in front of Ed, the OWNER of the shows. Our tent team consisted of our leader, Nancy, her main man Harry, Archie from St. Lucia, Irene the amazing single hander of seven years, Mark & Joan, Alice, and last but certainly not least, 23 year old Hayden. It’s hard to describe Hayden. You almost need to EXPERIENCE Hayden! He has the most infectious laugh and absolutely incredible smile. Gary said he looks like a Viking, but no Viking ever giggled like Hayden. Even though I was convinced that I didn’t need any more friends, this group changed all that. Alice, Archie, Irene, Hayden and I quickly learned that we had a common interest. HAPPY HOUR! We sought out the cheapest beers and free food to stretch our cruising kittys. And we laughed and laughed and laughed some more. Where we found the energy to have so much fun is a mystery to me, as most days Gary and I were so exhausted we could barely climb up out of the dinghy onto Tessa. Our routine was simple. Sleep, work, have a cocktail, a bite to eat, and sleep some more. Some nights we would dingy over to see Allison at the Annapolis Landing Marina to shower and do laundry. Conveniently located across Back Creek was Davis’s Pub. There was just enough time between cycles to dinghy over for a beer and a crab cake. Perfect! About five days into the show, Gary got the dreaded call from the Harbor Master. Tessa’s anchor had dragged! We hightailed it to Back Creek, fearing Tessa was bouncing off all the surrounding boats, only to find her safely tied to an end dock by anchor neighbors Mike and Judy McKendy from Sea Sharp (ay?). Thanks to the quick reactions of them and some other caring anchor neighbors, the only damage we sustained was clipping off our grill by the bow pulpit of another boat. Off it went into the nasty water. Judy saw it fall, directed us to the spot, and sure enough we felt it with the boat pole. Gary was determined to dive for it, since Jim and Missy had generously donated it for the trip. We knew Jim was planning on grilling up some great dishes during their vacation with us. On the first dive, he got a hold of it, but came up with just the cover. It was too cumbersome to get a hold of while holding his breath under water. Gary said Jim would make a sport of retrieving it, and decided to wait for his assistance. In the time it took for Tessa to drag, two boats pulled into our vacated space, so we decided to try anchoring in Spa Creek South Anchorage where there is more space and deeper water. The muck that comes up with the anchor makes a nasty mess, so Gary ordered a wash down pump along with our new Fortress anchor. We do not like dragging a lot. Jim and Missy arrived on October 16. We celebrated by heading to the Ram’s Head for appetizers and then McGarvey’s for their famous mussels and clams. Jim and Missy quickly fit in with our band of merry tent crew and we had a great time. One very special night we were invited to Archie’s boat for cocktails. He bought Janey, named after his mother, at the Annapolis Sailboat Show two years ago. She’s a beautiful Tartan 34. We had begun to use the water taxi once Jim and Missy arrived, as the dinghy was a bit too small for four of us. We had the taxi pick Hayden up on the way. The two bottles of wine we brought along ran out way before we were ready to go, so Archie rooted around under his sink and came up with a “crusty” jug of Chablis, which tasted good once we determined there was nothing unusual floating in it! Archie was a perfect host and D.J., spinning all kinds of island tunes and narrating the lyrics for us. Once Missy looked at the time and alerted us it was going on 10:00, we scurried back to Tessa and set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. Our turn to relieve Security the next morning. By this time we have transitioned from the Sailboat Show to the Powerboat Show. During both, Gary and I worked the front lines taking tickets and putting on an endless number of wrist bands. Marci and Jay were very accommodating to couples, keeping us on the same work schedules and lunch breaks, so there were some nice chances to lunch with Jim and Missy. Most evenings we enjoyed wonderful dinners on board Tessa, since Chef Jim volunteered to cook for us. Monday was the dreaded teardown day. Somehow Pete, Archie, Irene and I drew the short straws and got stuck in the “Boneyard”. This is where countless fork lifts deliver pallets filled with the tent hardware, side walls, and tops to be disassembled and folded. The goal is to stay ahead of the pallets to keep everything from forming chaotic piles. Toward the end of the long painful day, Marci commented that she loved making order out of chaos and had done it for EIGHT YEARS. I couldn’t help myself, the question just slipped out. Had she ever considered seeking therapy?? She laughed, kind of. And she thanked me at the end of the day, so I don’t think she was too insulted. Tuesday, our final night in Annapolis, we had a fantastic going away party that started at the Ram’s Head with free oysters on the half shell, Old Bay Shrimp and $2.50 great microbrews. Then off to Armadillos to hear Jim’s favorite band “JarFlys”. Before the first note of the first song, Alice was on the dance floor, and soon the rest of us followed. Shots of tequila turns everyone into a fine dancer. Even though there was a lot of alcohol involved, the hugs and kisses and tears at the end of the night were for real. Alice said she felt like she was losing her family. Don’t you worry Alice, we’ll be together again. And we will NEVER forget you!

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