The Curse of the Wayward Dinghy
12 April 2015 | 26 6.92'N:111 17.08'W, Isla Coronado, Baja California
Mark
Last week, while we were anchored off the small fishing village of San Evaristo, we kicked back and enjoyed a very cold beer at a small palapa restaurant on the beach. Shortly after we sat down, another cruising couple arrived. It wasn't long before we had all introduced ourselves and were learning about each other's travels. Our new friends had lots of funny stories to share and we were all having a good laugh at the adventures, and mis-adventures, that we each had experienced.
One story they told us, that turned out to be especially memorable, was about how they almost lost their dinghy. Of course, down here losing your dinghy is a huge deal as there are no marine stores that can replace it. Losing your dinghy is like totalling your car, with no way to buy a new car. Our new friends described how, just a couple of days prior, they had dinghied up to their boat, boarded it, and headed below. Eventually, the husband popped his head up and noticed a dinghy drifting across the bay. At first he smiled and looked around, but then he noticed that his own dinghy was missing!
We had a good chuckle with them but wondered how anyone could actually forget to tie their incredibly important dinghy to their boat. Well, we were soon to receive an answer to our question.
It was just a short two days later that Dee and I returned from a beach excursion and headed below for a cold beer. I popped my head out and was shocked to notice our very own dinghy heading downwind on a voyage of its own! After a mad dash on the paddle board I caught up with our runaway. In all my years of boating this has never happened! I've never forgotten to tie off the dinghy, but here it happened forty-eight hours after hearing our friends story.
We were pretty sure that this wasn't a coincidence and that a curse had been passed onto us. But, that's not the end of this tale.
Two days ago, on Isla Coronado just north of Loreto, we met up with our good friends Ted, Sue, and their son Josh on their Passport 47, Adesso. During happy hour we recounted the story of our lost dinghy and our theory of the curse of the wayward dinghy. Of course, they had a good chuckle and regaled us with their superior boat handling skills and attention to detail. They, of all people, would not lose their dinghy in such a way. Keep in mind, that this conversation happened the magical two days ago.
Right on schedule, first thing this morning, I looked out and saw a dinghy traversing the waters with nobody on board. And, it looked suspiciously like Adesso's! I called out to Ted and Josh was quickly in the water on his surf board to retrieve their escapee.
There is good news and bad news here. The good news is that the curse is now off of our back and transferred quite handily to Adesso. We figure that they need to quickly recount the entire story its start to the next set of cruisers so that they can free themselves. If they don't, we are not sure what will happen!
For our friends back home, beware, but you are probably safe. I do suggest that you double-check the parking brake on your car for the next two days. For our cruising friends down here in the Sea of Cortez, you may want to avoid Adesso for a while and keep an eye open for wayward dinghies.