Miami Vice or Where Was Horatio Cane When I needed Him?

SHIP'S LOG:

Today should have been a fairly uncomplicated day, "should have been" being the operative words. The weather was not bad but the wind was supposed to get rather severe in the afternoon. SO I decided that it would be a good time to go get the shear pins rather than keep waiting for Bruce to go and get them for me. I have after all but waiting for a week almost. So I got in my dinghy and headed for the Watson Park Public Boat Launch. This would save me $16.55 or what it would coast me to become a member of the Miami Yacht Club for another day.

I docked the dinghy and chained it up and walked about a mile and a half to the elevated free train on 2nd Avenue. While waiting for the train, a gust of wind blew my favorite hat, the one from Venice onto the tracks, mere inches from the live third rail. Well so much for that hat. There was no way that I was going to jump down and get it.

The rest of the trip was uneventful until I got to River Marine, the local Hinda Outboard Deal. I asked for 10 shear pins figuring that too many was better than too few. And that's what they had, too few. In fact, they had none. It is a very common item for a shop that specializes in outboard motors, but they had none and had no idea when they would get any more in.

Back on the train and back to the Miami Anchorage. Now, the wind that had been forecast had kicked in and was straight out of the east, right on the nose from where the dinghy was to ABISHAG. It would be a fair workout rowing out to ABISHAG about a mile away but I have done it before(Fort Pierce). As luck would have it the dinghy was there but some lowlife had come by and had stolen one of the two oars. Not both, just one. If he had had a real need, he would have taken both. In this case he was just a punk who wanted to do something mean and taking one oar was enough mean for him. I check the bushes and the trash cans on the chance that once he had taken it, he simply toss it but the search revealed nothing. I would have to try and paddle out with one oar.

Inflatable dinghies row terribly, I am not sure exactly why, but rowing is a joy compared to trying to paddle one. It didn't help matters that the wind was on the nose and hitting 25 in the gusts which were frequent. For every foot I gained on ABISHAG I lost one and went sideways another. It was not a fun experience at all to say the least. They only good thing was that I was able to flag down and get a tow from one of the guys at anchor whom I had met and shared a few beers with. Rick towed me to ABISHAG and said, "Welcome to Miami. Now you've lost your virginity and joined the ranks of boaters who have been ripped off. Everybody gets something stolen in Miami."

I got back and spent sometime on line and on the phone trying to track down a replacement oar. I think I have a line on one and will know for sure tomorrow. Once I am sure, it will be a "simple" matter of getting it delivered to where I can pick it up!Perhaps today was the sign that it is really time to go. But for now, I am "trapped" aboard ABISHAG and it is raining. There perfect ending to the perfect day!