WHAT SOME PEOPLE WILL DO FOR A BREAKFAST SANDWICH

The text that Paul sent me last night on my phone read: Stephanie, Jimmy, David, Kim are rowing tomrrow. Join us. Simple straight forward elegant and to the point. Hah, I should have known better. With El Presidente and "his posse" we're not talking about some leisurely row around Children's Island. It more like "We're going to Manchester to do breakfast." Of course this information was never shared with me till I left the dock this AM. For those of you who have had the opportunity to do the Misery Island, let me fill you in it's another +2 miles further to the end of Manchester Harbor. In the best of days, crossing Salem Bay has it's challenges with the tides, boat traffic and wind. This morning 10+ breeze from the East and the row became what I would called the "teeth of the dog". No relief to speak of as we slogged our what to the lee side of Beverly. Maybe it would be more accurate to describe that I (and Kimberly) did most of the slogging. It seemed that every time I turned around the other three were like dots in the distant. This was Kim's first crossing and she rowed like a pro in Echo #4 Wings. I chose to row my Maas Aero, not the smartest choice in hindsight. It requires more skill than I was capable of producing at that moment. Someone once asked me "How does one go about rowing the Blackburn Challenge". My reply is one stroke at a time. And so it came to pass that Kim and I finally found ourselves at the end of Manchester Harbor stepping out of the shells and joining our comrades for breakfast. We ended up a a sweet upscale cafe specializing in great coffee and breakfast sandwich. Of course now it's time to head back home. Back to MHD and the basin behind Browns called our home. One would assume that the Easterly would now be in our favor but we know the rowing Gods never work that way. The wind shifted more to the south and a beam sea greeted us once we cleared "The Miseries". Now it was Kimberly waiting for me as I tried to maneuver my way through the chop mid-bay. 12.5 miles over all. Next time Paulie says "join us" I will: 1)Bring some money with me(It's my turn) 2)Take an easier boat to ride(unless it's absolutely flat water) 3)Expect a wild and unexpected time.