[Buddahaid]

[QUOTE=Aktungbby;2198673]@CaptainCruise : Good to hear from you! I was born in Bronxville in the year of '51 so, IMHO, you're in a good location! About two weeks ago I got to employ some rapid CBDR aspects of Destroyer Command in the San Francisco North Bay on our Friday outing. Basically against a 8 knot out-tide current in the Sacramento River with a large auto-hauler cargo carrier at 300 yards, doing 10 knots-tug free in ballast in the main ship channel on my 320; Closing very fast and optionless and the Carquinez Bridge footing on my immediate 90 at less than 50 yards; the 15 knot westerly wind just dropped, and we were doing 1.5 knots (becalmed according to the GPS speedpuck)...NO JOY imminent! Not standing on ceremony: as crew, exec, teak sander, and jibman-grinder, I turned to the skipper, an ex Navy Commander whose bucket-list gift this vessel is (a Catalina) and issued the Command Imperative: " Start the Engine!!!". His own blood pressure elevating, he hit the button on our mettlesome ancient Nisson 15 HP and it amazingly 'Tapocketa'd' to life as we cleared impending doom in true Mittyesqe fashion. We scuzzed aside the behemoth by 30 yards- were waved at by an officer from the bridge wing, received a salutary blast of the Nippon-bound ship's horn...and rode out the swell on our port quarter. The principle of big-ship little-ship played out to the MAX: and he has right-of way-in the main ship channel...whether I'm on a starboard tack or not! As we shortly re-entered the marina...we ran out of fuel and just glided 200' into the slip with two minor turns...best mooring ever! The skipper graciously forgave my breech of protocol but he bought lunch for going out short on gas-basic pilot error! Will crew for Food! Logging off to go sand and refinish the teak! [/QUOTE

Who says sailing is boring............