{"id":254,"date":"2012-10-19T04:54:05","date_gmt":"2012-10-19T08:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/?p=254"},"modified":"2015-07-12T14:10:04","modified_gmt":"2015-07-12T18:10:04","slug":"take-her-out-for-the-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/take-her-out-for-the-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Her Out for the Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

First published in several Maryland newspapers, 6\/2\/89 \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

The first overnighter<\/strong> \u0004\u000e<\/span><\/p>\n

by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove<\/span>
\n \u0004\u001c\u0004\u001c She rests outside, gracefully exposing her lovely curves to the \u0004\u001csummer sunshine. Her carefully painted features invite you, \u0004\u001cseeming to say, “Take me out for the weekend and we’ll have a \u0004\u001c\u000bgood time.”\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you ready for that commitment? Are you ready for the \u0004\u001cresponsibility of keeping her safe for two entire days and a night? \u0004\u001cAre you ready to satisfy her need for direction and sustenance for \u0004\u001c\u0016more than a few hours?\u0004\u001c Most of all, are your emotions stable enough to support such \u0004\u001c\u0010a relationship? \u0004<\/span><\/p>\n

It has been easy so far – wandering happily around the Bay \u0004\u001cfor an afternoon, perhaps stopping for a few hours to swim or fish. \u0004\u001cBut staying out overnight together for the first time is a \u0004\u001c\u0011different matter. \u0005\u001c You must be prepared. You both need food and shelter. \u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

If you leave on Saturday morning, you will need lunch and \u0004\u001cdinner for that day plus breakfast and lunch for Sunday. If you \u0004\u001ckeep lunches simple, sandwiches for example, you will have more \u0004\u001ctime to enjoy each other’s company and the beauty of the water.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Dinner may be the cruiser’s standby, frozen boiling-bag meals, \u0004\u001cor you may wish to exhibit your culinary expertise with something \u0004\u001cfancier. I enjoy making strawberry omelets, flambeed in rum. \u0004\u001cThey are special but simple and quick to fix, leaving the rest of the \u0004\u001c\u001devening for other diversions.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

While your body requires frequent feeding, her needs are \u0004\u001csimple and can be satisfied with a stop at the fuel dock of your \u0004\u001c local marina.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding a quiet, secure spot to stay overnight is of primary \u0004\u001cimportance. It should be secluded but not too isolated, intimate \u0004\u001cand cozy but not stifling, protected from strong winds but open to \u0004\u001cgentle cooling southerly breezes.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

The ideal anchorage has an easy, well marked entrance, 10 to \u0004\u001c15 foot water depth and ample room to swing around your anchor \u0004\u001cwithout coming close to other vessels. It has high shoreline to the \u0004\u001cnorth and west to block thunderstorms and lower land to the \u0004\u001csouth to admit fair weather breezes. \u0004 A sandbar or other wave blocking natural feature is desirable \u0005\u001cto keep the night from being a rock-and-roll party and there \u0004\u001cshould be no marshes nearby with their attendant biting bugs. All \u0004\u001cof these things are clearly marked on your nautical charts. \u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

On the western side of the Bay, I recommend the creeks off \u0004\u001cthe Severn, Magothy and South Rivers. On the Eastern Shore, \u0004\u001cconsider the upper Chester, Wye and Miles Rivers or the creeks off \u0004\u001cthe Choptank or the Little Choptank.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay away from popular rendezvous spots like Whitehall Bay, \u0004\u001cRhode River, Fairlee Creek and Shaw Bay for your quiet weekend. \u0004\u001cThose places are fun with a crowd in a raftup, but this is supposed \u0004\u001cto be an intimate time for you to get to know your new partner. \u0004\u001cThe gin and generators of adjacent parties would be a distraction.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

She is hardier than you and will spend the weekend \u0004\u001cuncovered, but you will need clothing and protection from the hot \u0004\u001csun. Remember your sunglasses, hat and sunscreen lotion. Burned \u0004\u001cskin will destroy the joy of the evening. Remember to take insect \u0004\u001c\u0014spray and repellent.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Discreetly check to see that all her parts are\u0010 in proper order, \u0004\u001ctoo. A well-polished skin is not enough; she must have good \u0004\u001cequipment including an anchor with chain and line, running and \u0004\u001canchor lights, insect screens and current charts.\u0004\u001c<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, launch and let your imagination go. Take her out for \u0004\u001c!the weekend and have a good time.<\/span><\/p>\n

— The End —<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
<\/span> Moonrise on the Rhode river with the boat you love. What could be better?<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First published in several Maryland newspapers, 6\/2\/89 \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e \u0004\u000e The first overnighter \u0004\u000e by \u0004\u000e\bTom Dove \u0004\u001c\u0004\u001c She rests outside, gracefully exposing her lovely curves to the \u0004\u001csummer sunshine. Her carefully painted features invite you, \u0004\u001cseeming to say, “Take me out for the weekend and we’ll have a \u0004\u001c\u000bgood time.”\u0004\u001c Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":631,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions\/631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tomdove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}