Cargo Ship?!!! Where?!!! Where!!!! What!!!

After months of dealing with bureaucracy about where to place the boat, how to license the boat, what needs to be on the boat, and do the hokey pokey turn yourself around. Not quite sure that's what it's all about, but finally we're on the water.

Last weekend we were enjoying sailing "on the run" on a low, lazy pace in the estuary and all of a sudden, we notice the building is moving. Well not exactly a building, but a cargo ship 12 stories high that is the equivalent of a building. We're seeing it being slowly pulled out into the channel by one tug boat and pushed out our way on the other side.

We are puzzled. There is no way that sucker is going to be turned around in the canal. What are they doing? I have no clue what cargo ships do. I barely know what they do period. Move cargo. Is that right? Let alone what they do once they get to dock. So what is that huge thing doing?

So at a glacier, but steady pace, the monolith is moving. Moving it seems faster than us. It's getting closer, closer. Come on, come on, come on. Adjust those sails, change course to run faster. Not working....I can see the tug boat captain's face. I can smell the tug boat diesel. Sailboat to be crushed like a bug, start your engines. Hello....start the motor. Pump that gas, what the f*%k?! Turn over, god damn it. Come on, come on, come on.

The tug boat calls out to us over the loud speaker "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Really!? No shit. Finally, the engine comes to life and we gun the motor. The tiny motor pushes us off to the side. Feet from the jetty and heading for the docks, we steer the rudder literally between a rock and a hard place.


And the cargo ship, building, makes a 180 degree turn with inches to spare. Do they do this all the time? Funny part we never even thought to turn on the radio and see if they're tuned in. Then it's funny that the tugboat guy thinks we know what to do and where to go. What? Like we do this all the time? Whaaaat?