The rendezvous was co-sponsored by Nordic Tugs and the Annapolis Sailyard. Smithfield Station was the perfect location for our gathering. The food was absolutely the best that I have ever had at a “group function”. I think you all know what I mean…mystery meat and last night’s leftover pasta today as a salad…well, that was certainly not the case at Smithfield Station. Fresh seafood was abundant in just about every possible menu category. The She Crab soup, crab legs, shrimp/lobster dishes was simply wonderful - that seems like such a lame and inadequate adjective to describe the consistently fabulous food.It continued to rain (rather hard) all day Sunday. Late Sunday evening and into early Monday morning, the winds picked up so much that the six Nordics that were stranded at Deltaville, VA were further delayed. While we missed them, we continued on with the rendezvous agenda as planned.
An extremely knowledgeable local historian gave us an entertaining and comprehensive history lesson of the Hampton Roads area from colonial to modern times. This area played (and even today still plays) such a significant role in the workings of the US Naval fleet and maritime economy that the history and stories are fascinating. As both Captain Mark and I have observed, it is incredible for us to realize that we are traveling in and on the same waterways that were vital to the creation and unity of our country. In colonial times and then again in each of the major wars of our country, the Civil War and both World Wars, the Hampton Roads area with its multiple rivers was critical to our survival as a nation. If only these waters could talk…
By Monday afternoon, the remaining six Nordics made their way to Smithfield Station. We were all there to meet, greet and welcome them after their LONG journey from Annapolis. Monday evening’s dinner gave us the opportunity to get to know the most recent arrivals. Tuesday morning Captain Jeremy Hopkins presented a “classroom” boat handling session which was followed by a hands-on real life docking lesson with a brand new Nordic 37
Jeremy requested that the “first mate” (meaning female) participants have a session that DID NOT include the respective captains – just us girls and Jeremy. Along with George and Peggy, I quickly volunteered. However, I requested that I not dock/drive the boat but instead use George and Peggy’s docking lesson to improve and enhance my Deck Monkey skills. My reasons were three-fold: 1) A Nordic 37 is very different in size and height from the pilot house to the water than is a Nordic 32. I want to improve my skills on a 32 and thought I would just confuse myself if I handled a 37. 2) I needed all the guidance/practice in perfecting my skill of lassoing and capturing the pilings upon entering fixed dock slips here on the East Coast. 3) Most of all, I was afraid that I would find out how easy it is to handle a 37 and then I would be wanting one…. Following the docking lessons, it was time to Tug Crawl. Each Nordic is different and it is always so much fun to see the other tugs. It is amazing to see how creative some of the owners are with their custom designs and modifications. I think this is one of the best parts of a rendezvous as we share ideas and suggestions that make us all better tug owners.
Kudos to Terri, Scott and Jay for a well planned and fun event!
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