Well, it’s been a slow week here in Purgatory Cove. The guys were all takin a break out by the bait shack early in the week Wade got up to pull another longneck outa the cooler when he spied something different coming into the cove. It was one of them sailboats, but it sure looked different from the normal Clorox bottle white ones that sometimes find their way into the cove.
No sir, this one was gunmetal grey. They thought it was a strange color to paint a boat until Lefty figured out it was actually metal, aluminum as it turned out. The boat slowly worked it’s way into the cove. That was sure different from the normal boater.. They just tear into the cove then develop this look of amazement when they run aground on one of the spoil bars from the fertilizer plant.
This one poked arouind until it found a deep, or at least deeper spot, in the cove. Then it drops an anchor and actually reversed to set it. A feat of seamanship Purgatory Cove hadn’t seen in the cove in ages.
The boat was different in other ways, too. It had all kinds of stuff on deck or tied to the lifelines. Yellow jerry jugs, what looked like surf boards and bikes were lashed in place. The stern had this funny fan shaped thing that looked like it was tied to the rudder. It also had an American flag flying from one of the wires that held up the pole. On the back of the boat was another flag that none of us recognized.
Sam headed for his Momma’s house, said she had one of those encyclopedia things that he could look up the flag in. A couple of minutes later, he comes back and says that the flag is French. That’s a first for Purgatory Cove. No French boat has ever made into the cove before.
Between the flag, the stuff on deck and a few more longnecks, they figure out that they must be one of those cruising boats, the kind they sail around the world, or at least out of the bay. The guys kept watchin to see if they were going to come ashore but they seemed happy to keep to them selves.
They unpacked one of those surf board things, put it in the water. Then danged if they didn’t put a sail on it. The French guy climbs down off the boat and starts zipping around the cove. He was good at balancing and didn’t even fall off as he changed directions. Good thing too, as he zipped right across the outflow from the fertilizer plant.
He goes back to the boat and the next guy gets on and takes off. About this time Wade jumps up and runs for his single narrow. He comes running back with a dented pair of old binoculars and proceeds to aim them at the surf board thing. Next thing he is yelling that it ain’t no guy on the board,. it’s a gal and she ain’t got nothin on top.
Now the boys at Purgatory cove are not good at sharing so there proceeds to be a struggle for the binoculars. Sam finally came up the winner. He aimed them out at the boat just in time to see the back of the gal climbing onto the boat. Needless to say, all three stayed out on the dock keeping watch until it was too dark to see anything.
The next morning, for the first time in years, all three were up with the sun and headed out to the dock, with binoculars. There was a slight mist on the water (or maybe another release from the fertilizer plant.) All three fidgeted while waiting for it to burn off. As it slowly rose, they were heartbroken to find the French boat gone and the cove empty.
Other than that, it’s been a slow week here in Purgatory Cove.
No sir, this one was gunmetal grey. They thought it was a strange color to paint a boat until Lefty figured out it was actually metal, aluminum as it turned out. The boat slowly worked it’s way into the cove. That was sure different from the normal boater.. They just tear into the cove then develop this look of amazement when they run aground on one of the spoil bars from the fertilizer plant.
This one poked arouind until it found a deep, or at least deeper spot, in the cove. Then it drops an anchor and actually reversed to set it. A feat of seamanship Purgatory Cove hadn’t seen in the cove in ages.
The boat was different in other ways, too. It had all kinds of stuff on deck or tied to the lifelines. Yellow jerry jugs, what looked like surf boards and bikes were lashed in place. The stern had this funny fan shaped thing that looked like it was tied to the rudder. It also had an American flag flying from one of the wires that held up the pole. On the back of the boat was another flag that none of us recognized.
Sam headed for his Momma’s house, said she had one of those encyclopedia things that he could look up the flag in. A couple of minutes later, he comes back and says that the flag is French. That’s a first for Purgatory Cove. No French boat has ever made into the cove before.
Between the flag, the stuff on deck and a few more longnecks, they figure out that they must be one of those cruising boats, the kind they sail around the world, or at least out of the bay. The guys kept watchin to see if they were going to come ashore but they seemed happy to keep to them selves.
They unpacked one of those surf board things, put it in the water. Then danged if they didn’t put a sail on it. The French guy climbs down off the boat and starts zipping around the cove. He was good at balancing and didn’t even fall off as he changed directions. Good thing too, as he zipped right across the outflow from the fertilizer plant.
He goes back to the boat and the next guy gets on and takes off. About this time Wade jumps up and runs for his single narrow. He comes running back with a dented pair of old binoculars and proceeds to aim them at the surf board thing. Next thing he is yelling that it ain’t no guy on the board,. it’s a gal and she ain’t got nothin on top.
Now the boys at Purgatory cove are not good at sharing so there proceeds to be a struggle for the binoculars. Sam finally came up the winner. He aimed them out at the boat just in time to see the back of the gal climbing onto the boat. Needless to say, all three stayed out on the dock keeping watch until it was too dark to see anything.
The next morning, for the first time in years, all three were up with the sun and headed out to the dock, with binoculars. There was a slight mist on the water (or maybe another release from the fertilizer plant.) All three fidgeted while waiting for it to burn off. As it slowly rose, they were heartbroken to find the French boat gone and the cove empty.
Other than that, it’s been a slow week here in Purgatory Cove.
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