Wye Island Circuit

Thursday morning found me up and out the door early with my boat and equipment in tow. We are now in the last few weeks of (for me) "wetsuit season" and I plan to make the most of them. I will paddle whenever and wherever I can, hopefully not alone.

I carried the Romany across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Wye Island on the Eastern Shore.
DNR Wye Island Description
I was meeting a group we call CKA (Chesapeake Kayak Adventures). It is both a large group of friendly like-minded paddlers and a commercial venture for its "owner." It is a brilliant bit of hybrid social media, adventure outfitting, and truly friendly people. My kind of people, and I enjoy being able to paddle with them very much.

We planned and completed a "Wye Island Circuit." Starting and ending at the same location, we circled the island counter-clockwise. At 14 miles this is not a terribly long paddle but it is one with a ton of natural beauty. It was cool and overcast most of the day but there were moments when the sun shone and the blue sky sparkled off the water. A very good day to be paddling.

At the launch

Ed in his Impex Assateague

Chocolate kisses!!

Dennis snaps another amazing photo

Thanks to Dennis there is evidence I made the trip

The day ended with blue skies and a mild breeze. These pretty autumn days will hold me over, through the bleak months, until I see the Keys or spring again.

An Albatross! OMFG...

Have you ever noticed sea birds drafting over cars on large bridges? I have.

I have also seen their dead bodies on the side of said bridges and wondered what exactly happened to cause such a thing?

And now I have a very exact answer.

There I was, driving on to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Minding my own business, I promise. I watched a large sea gull draft over the car in front of me in the left lane and then enter my lane. He tilted his leading wing towards my car, seemingly planning to draft over it. Just before he crossed my hood I thought of the large boat on the roof and its ropes. "He's awfully close, I hope" BANG! Thumping coming from the roof, and then out the rearview mirror I catch a glimpse of the fellow driving behind me, and his horrified face. An instant later I see a ball of white and grey feathers tumble to the side of the road, off the back of my car.

I did not swerve, nor step on the brakes. The bridge scares me enough. I knew I was going to hit him. I guess I hoped I would not but the loud bang confirmed his demise. I hope he was a young, unmarried bird. Hopefully I did not just orphan a whole family or leave a tearful bird widow.

I felt horrible driving home. I wanted to cry and maybe even wail a little. I kept thinking about that poem and the albatross. Bad juju, that. I tried to console myself with thoughts of Darwinism, maybe. I kept thinking "please don't let there be half a bird on my roof, caught up in the ropes," as my brain played out possible gory bird dissections.

When I stopped for gas I reluctantly looked over the car and the Romany. The boat is ivory, and was splattered in, well, bird blood and feathers. Lots of splatter, lots of feathers. Now the scientist in me comes out and I stand there wondering how there is blood on both sides of the boat? All the way from the front to the back, in an interesting spray pattern. The physics of the whole thing surprised me.

Then I got home and lowered the boat down on the Hullavator. There is more splatter, all over the top deck. HOW THE F**K DID THAT HAPPEN? I imagine the bird somersaulting over the boat, or maybe spinning. The husband suggested that the front rope cut him in half? Ugh. Gory bird dissections, indeed.

I took pictures, evidence of my bird-murdering Romany. I had recently given the boat a name. I named it Fenriss, after the wolf. Now I am thinking I should have named the boat Daisy. Superstitious and silly, I know.

And now, the photos? Nope. You do not want to see them. Although they do detail the odd spray pattern. Nope. Here instead, is a picture of our cat, Hobbe-zilla. Why the cat? Why not? Indeed.