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October 21, 2005
Snowbirds & Other Wildlife
Quiet as church mice, we scampered around in the dark just an hour before daybreak in Atlantic City getting ready for our 30-hour voyage to Norfolk, Virginia. We were joined by other scampering mice getting ready for their voyages. It was like an army of ants fighting to make it through a tiny hole in the weather, a full frontal advance out to sea.
We have met several southbound boats, and we discovered that the majority are Canadian snowbirds. I met a crew on the dock, Canadians heading south to the Bahamas for the winter. We followed a sailboat out of the inlet – a Canadian couple. I was wearing the sweater my mother made me – white with a huge red Canadian maple leaf on the front. I waved. It was like we had spoken an unspoken language. Don’t they understand that someone has to stay in Canada to pay for our health care?
Being chased by a northerly cold front, we hustled south with lots of wind. Our first overnight sail in several weeks, with bad weather following us, we made great progress. A tiny bird landed on the deck. Sharpened its beak on a cleat. Pecked at little morsels of whatever lay about. Then another. And another. They were so tame, sitting on Chis’ toqued head, resting on the wheel, closer than any wild bird had ever come to either of us. Chis crumbled some cracker crumbs on the deck. First, we thought they were injured. Then, we realized they were migrating south for the winter.
Platina had become a refuge. A sanctuary for their long flights south. We felt lucky, that these tiny creatures, with an uncanny sense of direction, had chosen us to visit.
Posted by dave at October 21, 2005 03:53 PM