Clearwater Beach

Every once in awhile one of us will do something stupid.  Not too serious but stupid nevertheless. For example:  one of us may be about to take a marker on the wrong side, or maybe mix up common nautical terminology like port or starboard for instance. Almost always the other one will catch it and the offender will get to wear the Gilligan hat for awhile. No biggie.  But every once in awhile we need two Gilligan hats. That's what happened today.

On the short cruise from Marker 1 Marina to an anchorage at Clearwater Beach we decided to tow our dingy for the first time instead of pulling it out of the water and up on it's davits.  We were in very calm, sheltered water and anchoring out most nights so it was just more convenient.  We were anchoring in Clearwater and as per our usual routine, Jeff was on the bow doing the heavy work and I was at the helm.  He dropped the anchor and asked me to reverse to back down on the anchor to help it grab.  I did.  Unfortunately, neither of us thought about the dingy line that was about to be wound around and around our prop. I glanced around and there was our dingy, floating away.  The line had been severed. Ugh.

Securing the anchor back in place, plop, just like that, stupid thing number two.  In the drink the anchor pin plopped. Setting the anchor on the deck, flustered, we rescued the dingy and tied it securely close to the back of the boat, knowing the other half of the line was wrapped around our prop. Having an interest in diving, I volunteered to go down and check it out.  I whipped off my shorts (much to the amusement of the guy anchored across the way) and slipped in. Unfortunately, being, um, not quite as "muscular" as I used to be and in salt water, I was so ridiculously buoyant that I just popped up like a cork. After several tries I absolutely could not get down there without weights.  So, Jeffy got to go diving.


 Luckily, it wasn't too serious.  A quick dive and he could see the rope there around the prop.  A bit of fan-dangling under the boat, with one eye over his shoulder looking out for the imaginary JAWS, and the rope came undone.  One breath.  No harm done.  Just salty and "shrinkingly" cold!!!!  That piece of rope is now hanging from one of our hand holds on the salon ceiling.