Thoughts from Crow Cottage (My Main Blog.)
crowbelle's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life on the Sea Life on the Sea Rather than talk about myself today, which may bore you to death as I'm laid up with a strained back of some sort, I wanted to relate the events of today that happened to my dear husband, Paul, the lobsterman. Yes, he lobsters most of the year, at least until sometime in January this season, he says. So now that we are in the clutches of Winter here in New England, the days he can get out to make money lobstering are few and far between. However, he still has his boat moored at the mouth of Marblehead Harbor, and his little dinghy/skiff/rowboat - whatever it's called - is tied up in the cove there at The Fort. So in bad weather there is always the worry about losing one boat, or the other, or both! We had, I'd say, at least 30 inches of snow in a 2-day period this weekend. It's horrible! They never even plowed our little street until 1 o'clock this afternoon, but Paul needed to get over to the harbor to "check the boat" much sooner than that, so he left around 9 a.m. - thru a good 2 feet of snow on the road, in his F-150 pickup truck, without 4-wheel drive, mind you... and I had visions of him sliding down our steep hill into our neighbor's house which is at the bottom - but he didn't, and he got out OK. He arrived at Marblehead Harbor (which is about 5 miles from our house) and got his skiff untied from on the top of the rocks where he'd put it yesterday when he realized it would be turned into matchsticks if he left it in the water, and he rowed out to his lobster boat (called "Bollocks!") tying the rowboat up to his mooring. He went to start up the boat and nothing happened. Dead. He must have muttered a few choice words then - and don't forget, it's cooooold here too! So he went to get the rowboat so he could row back in and his rowboat had become loosened from the mooring and was floating away from him, over toward the lighthouse, across the harbor! So, there is he...stuck on a boat that won't start, and no rowboat. He also forgot to bring MY cellphone (which he is borrowing since his doesn't work good) from the truck out to the boat because he was afraid of getting it wet! He tried calling for help on his boat radio...but he could hear other people talking, but they couldn't hear him! So he saw a woman walking a dog on-shore, and he started yelling "Help! Help!" to her... and finally she heard him. She said she would call for help...since she lived nearby... Meanwhile, a guy with a kayak came along (huh? in December???) and Paul flagged him down and he said he'd row or paddle out to catch Paul's errant rowboat... Meanwhile, the police cars started arriving at The Fort, and then the Fire Trucks! haha! He was mortified, but glad they were available... He figured he'd try to start the boat one more time - first fiddling with the wires, and poof, it started right up! He motored over to the kayaker...who had his rowboat...and all was well. I think that guy will be getting some free lobsters soon! He sent away the police and fire departments... and came home, after doing some more errands. The storm was so strong, however, over the weekend that the concrete steps at The Fort leading down to the beach were washed away, and so now Paul has to arrange to sell his lobsters to another man as he cannot lug them up that beach and up the steps to his truck - at least until the Town of Marblehead replaces the steps...which may not be til Spring or Summer! So that was Paul's adventure today. Me, I'm home with a strained back and feeling generally miserable and forlorn. I can't go out for fear of falling on the ice which is everywhere... so I've been stuck inside, with two dogs who are also housebound...but we've been managing ok, I guess. Ain't Life Grand? 3:55 pm - 08 December 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
||||||
|
||||||
