One oarstroke from Ram Island back to the yacht club

I was rowing with Tyler, out to Devil's Foot and Ram Island and we stopped at Ram Island to check for clams. There seem to be fewer than when we went last year. The current was setting into the harbor and the wind was from the southwest. Anyway, from behind Ram, I took one strong stroke of the oars out into the current and we quickly drifted out from behind Ram and into the harbor. The wind was blowing us back towards home.

I thought it would be fun to see how far we could drift back towards Dory Beach where I keep my boat, so I rested on my oars. Aside from fending off one mooring, we drifted all the way back to the beach and only missed it by 20 yards. Amazing! One oar stroke from Ram back to home. The entire way, the boat stayed pointed in the same direction, except it started to turn broadside to the wind one time. So I moved towards the back of the boat - leaving more freeboard in the bow for the wind to blow on and this straightened her out. We missed the beach by a couple of yards and got in behind the last Penzance dock next to Dory Beach, rowed underneath it and over the last few yards to where I store my boat.

Went for a row around Penzance

Launched at A and rowed counter clockwise around Penzance. I got to B about an hour before low tide, with the current flowing out, south, and against me. The wind too. But at B, I rounded the corner without difficulty and followed the eddies and occasional counter currents through the gut and into the harbor side. "Easy peasy". Got my boat Rosie in at C, left her on the beach and went back to A to retrieve the boat dolly. Etc. Saw fish splash near the southern red nun in the hole; and again in the harbor on the final leg. It was a bit scary and a bit awesome to be in more open water. Waves and current were not a problem but one submerged rock that suddenly made an unexpected splash off my bow, took me by surprise.

An autobiographical note

Leaving work and moving to Woods Hole at 65, a year later I have run out of motivation and seem to drift from moment to moment. Why even write music? First time since I was 12 that I am not engaged in a creative project. I will try to get more engaged, at least with music, this winter. And I promise to at least do some carving in the future.