paulthenurse
Contributor
Alice and I met Johnw...ski at Fort Wetherill boat ramp early Saturday morning. Bright and sunny on the drive down, crossing the (?) Jamestown(?) Bridge the fog socked in. Not to be deterred, we loaded up and set out. Seas were calm with slight surface ripples and 3-4 foot rollers offshore. John did a great job of navigating out thru the fog and before you knew it we were grappling in to the tug Tetti. As we're gearing up, a school of bonito started jumping all around us. Beautiful!
John splashed first and Alice and I followed shortly. We were using a pair of old steel 95's that I bought on consignment from my LDS. THese things are heavy. I mean HEAVY! Alice had only used them once before and didn't adjust her weight. So when she let air out of her BCD, she sank like a stone. SHe looked like she belonged in an Errol Flynn pirate movie the way she slid down that line! We arrived at the bottom to find John had wraped the anchor around the towing bit. Alice couldn't get neutral and was struggling. SHe pointed to her feet and I thought she was ahving a problem with her fins. CHecked those out. Nope they are on solid.
"What is it? Oh, your ankle weights?"
"Yes!"
Ok, they come off. "Better?"
"No?" Damn! Ok, lets scrub the dive. C'mon, lets go.
And she starts shaking her head, 'I'm not going up, you go and look around.'
"No, lets just head up."
And I get the look. You know the look. The 'I'm fine, I'm just going to stay here and you are going to go swim around and look at this damn wreck and then, when you are done, THEN we can go up. OK??!!!" That look. John was standing by watching this entertaining display of couple interaction at 95 feet and he was about out of time so as he started up the line, I figured I'd take a quick look around, leaving her holding onto the down line. So I make the worlds fastest tour of a sunken wreck. Once quickly around the main dech, look in a few windows and back to the stern. (I went so fast that I mistook the tow bitts we tied into for the forward bitts, and the bitts on the bow for the main bitts! Gotta do better than that!)
Back to Alice. "You ok? THen lets go." We free the grapple and do a nice slow ascent.
Once on top, we headed to the Neptune a few miles away. By this time the sun was out and it was lovely, especially when the school of bonito reapeared and started jumping all around us. Unfortunately, the rollers started to get he best of Alice, and by the time we tied in she was green. SO this time it was just John and I. Vis a not as good here. 20 feet or so on the first dive, maybe 10 on the 2nd. We dropped down to the top of the A frame and then down to the deck. John was poking in and out of doors and hatches but I was content to just swim around the exterior. THe boat went down fully rigged, with booms out, and there is a ton of cool things to see. When I met up with John again on the aft deck, I watched him drop down into the fish hold. I decided to follow and waited until he moved aft and then dropped fins first into the hold. Unfortunatley, I had decided after the first dive that the vis was so good that I didn't need to bring a light. By the time I made up my mind to follow John and maneauvered to do so, he was gone, and without a light and without him knowing I was following him, there was NO f'ing way I was letting go of my grip on the coaming. I swam back up onto the deck and in short order ran into John coming out of another hatch. In short order, it was time to go. and we had an uneventful trip home. Alice was feeling better by the time we got home and we spent a wonderful afternoon pulling down cabinets and countertops and walss and a horsehair plaster ceiling in 90 degree heat! I felt like I had chain smoked three cartons of Lucky's by the time we stumbled into bed.
The alarm clock gave us a break on Sunday, waiting until 7:30 to start making far too much noise. But that's ok, we were having a fantastic weekend. At the dock in Marion by 9, sail cover off, cushions on, stock the fridge, and we were off to Cuttyhunk on Glen's 40 footer, Arch Angel. We anchored in the harbor, and went ashore to buy lobsters for dinner. $14 a pound!!!!!!! You gotta be freakin' kidding me!!!!! For that much money they should be able to pitch middle relief for the Olde Towne Team. I can't tell you how much it hurt to spend a yard for six bugs, something that I generally get for a tank of air! Still and all, a wonderful day sailing, and nothing better than diving off the side to clean up afterwards. We got back around 10pm and I was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
Monday dawned early. (Again!) Met JohnL at the BK parking lot at 7:00 am and we were off to meet Fran M on Daybreaker. We headed to the Isle of Shoals to hope to see some seals. A long ride there from Glouster, maybe 2 1/2 hours, but it gave me a chance to check my eyelids for leaks. Before you knew it, we were motoring between the islands, checking out all the seals lying on the rocks catching the sun. As we went past, about 50 -75 of them hit the water and disappeard. We swam along the wall and in short order came across a half dozen of them lyin g at the bottom of a huge canyon. We eyed them and they eyed us.
(This is where I insert the warning to everyone... If you intend to bring a camera, put it in the car t he night before, not one the kitchen table which is now in the dining room, because the kitchen doesn't exist anymore. Cause in the morning, you won't see it, and will be kicking yourself forever for not having it with you!!!!!)))
One relatively small seal seemed to adopt us and followed nearby for the next 30 minutres. He was swimming around us, nibbling our fins, bumping into us and just seemed to be as fascinated by us as we were by him. He was like an underwater version of a dog, a Lab. At one point, I was watching a couple swim over and around the top of the canyon walls when I felt John rubbing all up against me. "Jeez, what is it? Move over, will you? And I looked over and it wasn't John. I'm getting dry humped by a seal and John is practically peeing his pants he's laughing so hard!
Our second dive was just as cool, with the seals playing all around us. At one point, they had left for a bit and the first I knew they were back is when one bumped me high up inside my legs. I swam the rest of the dive with my knees touching!
One other thing. The lobster out there are Un-freakin'-believable. I bet I grabbed at least a half-dozen 3 pounders. They were everywhere! And of course, it's illeagal to take them diving in NH/ME. We stopped for a bug dive on the way back in and of got skunked! Doesn't that figure. Still a nice dive but...
Going back to work tonight. I know I've got no complaints but man, I wish this weekend didn't have to end.
Thanksto everyone who made it such a great weekend!
John splashed first and Alice and I followed shortly. We were using a pair of old steel 95's that I bought on consignment from my LDS. THese things are heavy. I mean HEAVY! Alice had only used them once before and didn't adjust her weight. So when she let air out of her BCD, she sank like a stone. SHe looked like she belonged in an Errol Flynn pirate movie the way she slid down that line! We arrived at the bottom to find John had wraped the anchor around the towing bit. Alice couldn't get neutral and was struggling. SHe pointed to her feet and I thought she was ahving a problem with her fins. CHecked those out. Nope they are on solid.
"What is it? Oh, your ankle weights?"
"Yes!"
Ok, they come off. "Better?"
"No?" Damn! Ok, lets scrub the dive. C'mon, lets go.
And she starts shaking her head, 'I'm not going up, you go and look around.'
"No, lets just head up."
And I get the look. You know the look. The 'I'm fine, I'm just going to stay here and you are going to go swim around and look at this damn wreck and then, when you are done, THEN we can go up. OK??!!!" That look. John was standing by watching this entertaining display of couple interaction at 95 feet and he was about out of time so as he started up the line, I figured I'd take a quick look around, leaving her holding onto the down line. So I make the worlds fastest tour of a sunken wreck. Once quickly around the main dech, look in a few windows and back to the stern. (I went so fast that I mistook the tow bitts we tied into for the forward bitts, and the bitts on the bow for the main bitts! Gotta do better than that!)
Back to Alice. "You ok? THen lets go." We free the grapple and do a nice slow ascent.
Once on top, we headed to the Neptune a few miles away. By this time the sun was out and it was lovely, especially when the school of bonito reapeared and started jumping all around us. Unfortunately, the rollers started to get he best of Alice, and by the time we tied in she was green. SO this time it was just John and I. Vis a not as good here. 20 feet or so on the first dive, maybe 10 on the 2nd. We dropped down to the top of the A frame and then down to the deck. John was poking in and out of doors and hatches but I was content to just swim around the exterior. THe boat went down fully rigged, with booms out, and there is a ton of cool things to see. When I met up with John again on the aft deck, I watched him drop down into the fish hold. I decided to follow and waited until he moved aft and then dropped fins first into the hold. Unfortunatley, I had decided after the first dive that the vis was so good that I didn't need to bring a light. By the time I made up my mind to follow John and maneauvered to do so, he was gone, and without a light and without him knowing I was following him, there was NO f'ing way I was letting go of my grip on the coaming. I swam back up onto the deck and in short order ran into John coming out of another hatch. In short order, it was time to go. and we had an uneventful trip home. Alice was feeling better by the time we got home and we spent a wonderful afternoon pulling down cabinets and countertops and walss and a horsehair plaster ceiling in 90 degree heat! I felt like I had chain smoked three cartons of Lucky's by the time we stumbled into bed.
The alarm clock gave us a break on Sunday, waiting until 7:30 to start making far too much noise. But that's ok, we were having a fantastic weekend. At the dock in Marion by 9, sail cover off, cushions on, stock the fridge, and we were off to Cuttyhunk on Glen's 40 footer, Arch Angel. We anchored in the harbor, and went ashore to buy lobsters for dinner. $14 a pound!!!!!!! You gotta be freakin' kidding me!!!!! For that much money they should be able to pitch middle relief for the Olde Towne Team. I can't tell you how much it hurt to spend a yard for six bugs, something that I generally get for a tank of air! Still and all, a wonderful day sailing, and nothing better than diving off the side to clean up afterwards. We got back around 10pm and I was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
Monday dawned early. (Again!) Met JohnL at the BK parking lot at 7:00 am and we were off to meet Fran M on Daybreaker. We headed to the Isle of Shoals to hope to see some seals. A long ride there from Glouster, maybe 2 1/2 hours, but it gave me a chance to check my eyelids for leaks. Before you knew it, we were motoring between the islands, checking out all the seals lying on the rocks catching the sun. As we went past, about 50 -75 of them hit the water and disappeard. We swam along the wall and in short order came across a half dozen of them lyin g at the bottom of a huge canyon. We eyed them and they eyed us.
(This is where I insert the warning to everyone... If you intend to bring a camera, put it in the car t he night before, not one the kitchen table which is now in the dining room, because the kitchen doesn't exist anymore. Cause in the morning, you won't see it, and will be kicking yourself forever for not having it with you!!!!!)))
One relatively small seal seemed to adopt us and followed nearby for the next 30 minutres. He was swimming around us, nibbling our fins, bumping into us and just seemed to be as fascinated by us as we were by him. He was like an underwater version of a dog, a Lab. At one point, I was watching a couple swim over and around the top of the canyon walls when I felt John rubbing all up against me. "Jeez, what is it? Move over, will you? And I looked over and it wasn't John. I'm getting dry humped by a seal and John is practically peeing his pants he's laughing so hard!
Our second dive was just as cool, with the seals playing all around us. At one point, they had left for a bit and the first I knew they were back is when one bumped me high up inside my legs. I swam the rest of the dive with my knees touching!
One other thing. The lobster out there are Un-freakin'-believable. I bet I grabbed at least a half-dozen 3 pounders. They were everywhere! And of course, it's illeagal to take them diving in NH/ME. We stopped for a bug dive on the way back in and of got skunked! Doesn't that figure. Still a nice dive but...
Going back to work tonight. I know I've got no complaints but man, I wish this weekend didn't have to end.
Thanksto everyone who made it such a great weekend!
