1776 revisited?
2002-09-20

Hey I finally slept through the night. Thats good right? How come I feel so tired today? Couldn't have been the wine... No, not the wine, well... maybe...

Well all the papers have been signed and the house is officially refinanced. I don't get the check until Tuesday. State law makes them hold it in case I change my mind LOLOLOL. Yeah, I'll turn down the lower rate and the big fat check. Not in this lifetime.

The sailing instructions finally came in the mail yesterday so I went down to the Club to hand them out to my team and to put a set on the boat. I knew it was going to be a weird night when a guy in full military uniform and white gloves told me I couldn't park in the south lot. Some kind of flag ceremony he said..... ??????

Sooo, I zoom past him and another army dude directing traffic into the guest lot. He tries to wave me in there, but I ignore him and park in the North lot. I don't think he is happy.

The deck is packed with people in suits and there is an army band plaaying patriotic songs. Now I'm thinking, hell, have we gone to war and nobody told me?

It gets even weirder.. As I'm heading out on the launch, I see the Sloop Providence, you know the replica of the one that John Paul Jones sailed in the Revolutionary War sitting at the end of C Dock with her cannon ports open. Maybe the British have pissed us off again?

The launch driver tells me that there is some kind of flag ceremony and that the plan is for the Providence to sail by the fuel dock, and blast a broadside as the flag is being raised. There are guys with fire estinguishers just in case the cannons start a fire. I'm thinking, Boy, this is a great plan, I'm glad I'm on a mooring and no where near this zoo. I make a mental note to stay away from the fuel dock too. Then the launch driver tells me he is supposed to help the Providence turn around, because the channel is too narrow for her to do it solo. I'm thinking, man killed by beign run over by 200 year old ship. Interesting.....

Well I check out the boat, take an uneventful launch ride back and go in for a glass of grapes and to watch the ceremony through the bar windows. Sure enough, the Providence comes by, the band plays, the flag goes up and BLAM! The club did not burn down and the Providence did not take out half the docks the mooring field or the club launch. This is a good outcome.

I'm waiting for one of the captains on my team to show up and yakking when I hear a bit of interesting news... The nominating committee has not renominated the (sensitive people please skip the next word, but it is the only one that truely fits) "asshole" rear commodore. This guy is easily the most hated person at the club. I'm overjoyed. I gotta stick around to see this... So I have a few glasses of grapes on an empty stomach and I'm talking to Charlie about Sundays race when to my amazement, two full plates of food shows up in front of Charlie and I. Not crappy food either, pork tenderloins, lobster nueberg (sp?) red bliss potatoes, vegtable medley... Yum Man that hit the spot. Thank you God, or at least thank you Holly the caterer.

Just as I finish, so does the board meeting. They have voted to reject the nominating commitees recomendations. There is going to be an alternate slate. This means war... This i sgoing to be great. I know where I can find a cannon.

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