LASERS ROW IN
THE RAIN
This is not about Laser sailing, but I have sailed a Laser
in these waters. The rowing in the rain
part is about a few years ago, when I was working as an MD at the Key West VA
Clinic. They had recently moved into
part of the Old Key West Navy Hospital in Key West and I lived on Stock Island
next to the water. The hospital was on
the other side of Cow Key Channel about a ½ mile away.
For a week I rowed over in my 16 foot St. Lawrence
Skiff. –(Thanks to the model boat folks
for the picture of their model that is very similar to my boat.) I would row into a little harbor and tie up
to the dock at the enlisted men's barracks and walk a ¼ of a block to our
offices. I did that for a week just to
be able to say I was the only doctor in the USA that rowed to work. The Navy MDs
and the VA were just getting used to working in the same area, so after
a week I drove my car over so my use of the little harbor would not become an
issue.
One morning about 7:30 as I was rowing away from home and
going west. I am looking east at some big black clouds coming from the east. (Wind is KW mostly from the east—some Bermuda
high thing.) OK, it is only about a half mile to row. Go a little faster. Now I am in Cow Key Channel and almost to the
little harbor and the rain drops start to fall. In the Keys the little thunder storms just
rain hard for a few minutes and then move on-- and I am right by the bridge
that goes from Stock Island over to Key West.
Row under the bridge. Now it is
raining pretty hard, but not on me. I am
under the bridge… only one problem, the tide is coming in and I have to keep rowing
to stay under the bridge.
OK, move over to the edge of the channel where the current
is less. Yes, but now I look over to the
shore about 10 feet away --- 7 or 8 homeless folks sleeping under the bridge on
the 15 feet of dry land under the bridge.
They are all asleep. Some with
the little pile of the only possessions they have in the world.
I meet these folks around town often. Most have mental or just drug problems. No problem, but you don’t want to have long
conversations because it can get pretty weird.
I hope they keep sleeping.
So I keep rowing and they keep sleeping. How long is all this going to go on?
It is still raining pretty hard and I notice the eddy behind
one of the support posts and row into the eddy.
Now the eddy is holding me against the current and I just need to steer
enough to stay in the eddy.
My friends on shore begin to stir and the time is almost 8
AM. Time for me to show up for
work. So I row out into the rain which
is now letting up. Into the harbor and
tie up to the dock and over to the Clinic – only a little damp.
So rowing in the rain can be an extra adventure. I recommend it. Take something to bail with. Forget the umbrella unless have a passenger
or want to use it as a sail. No, I
changed my mind—take the umbrella. Maybe
an anchor for under the bridge? Nice to
have lunch along just in case.
Maybe you had a good adventure rowing in the rain.
