If on September 15, 2013 at 9:20 pm someone in Sanxenxo had
looked out over Playa Silgar anchorage, that person would probably have seen a
dinghy, a small boat used to reach shore from a larger boat, rowing slowly
across the bay. Inside the dinghy, there were four people- the Barnes family.
At 8:00, we had motored over to a marina in Petit Alis, our
dinghy.
On the way there Mama asked, "Do we have enough fuel
for this?"
"We do. I just checked." Daddy replied
confidently.
When we arrived, we tied up and began walking all over town.
We looked in a few shops, then turned around, got some ice cream, and returned
to Petit. We kicked off at about 9 PM. We were just leaving Sanxenxo when the
engine sputtered out. We started it again but a moment later the engine stopped.
We checked the fuel; there was not a drop left. We rowed over to the fuel dock,
but the fuel station had closed. We prepared for the long row out to Sila.
By 9:20, we were in the middle of the bay.
At 9:30, we were tied up to Sila laughing at the small
mistake we had made. This experience was exciting because it was unlike
anything else we have ever done; boring because Jack and I had to sit in Petit
longer while my parents took turns rowing; and interesting because the whole
experience taught me that when going far, you should make sure the engine is
100% filled before leaving your fuel supply.
Part of what made this so funny is that we had plenty of gas that we could have added to Petit's engine but… just this once… Daddy did not listen to Mama.
-Porter (with some editorial input from Daddy)
Well, that brings back memories of a trip over to an island in the Helen R for an early evening picnic on an island in Penobscot Bay whose name I've forgotten with a whole bunch of Braces and Barnes when you and I were boys. On the way back, with the sun almost down, the boat either ran out of gas or conked out. Can't remember which. What I do remember is Aunt Ann rowing the rowboat from where we anchored — somewhere fairly close to the Hildreth's, but still a good long pull in the gathering darkness — to get help.Good times in Northport.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your posts, Jack, Porter, Molly and Christopher. Keep them coming. Also, I'm wondering if there's a port in your near future where I can mail you something.
Sail safe. :)
Peter Brace