Things That Go Knock In The Night

Myers Creek
N 37 41.50 W 076 29.66

This is a strange, but true, story. Last night we sat at anchor on Urbanna Creek, not far from the town marina. Up the creek a little bit is a facility called Liberty at Comfort Quay. It is sort of a motel, but its real business is to host weddings. There is a big open building for indoor parties. There is a very big deck on the water, and there are rooms for the guests to sleep it off after the party. Last night, there was a big wedding reception at Liberty. Every parking space for 1/4
mile around was filled.

Well, this morning around 04:00 Libby and I were woken abruptly by three loud knocks on the hull right next to our ears. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. I jumped out of bed, exclaimed "What the hell?" and ran up on deck naked and without my glasses. When I got there I heard a voice say, "Don't worry. We aren't going to board you." I didn't see anyone to go with the voice. I shook my head to shake out the cobwebs and tried to focus my eyes. Then I saw them in the moonlight. There were three men swimming
in the water holding on to our dinghy. One had a bathing suit on but the others were naked. "What the hell?" I said once again.

The four of us then engaged in a conservation under these bizarre circumstances. I learned that these men were guests from the wedding reception, and that they were drunk. They were trying to swim across the creek but they got tired out and headed for Tarwathie as a nearby refuge. I also heard female voices. I looked over at the town marina and there were women there shouting at their idiot husbands telling them to come back before they drowned.

Having learned that I decided that they were harmless and that I should go back to bed. I did so, but then Libby spoiled everything. "Shouldn't you row them somewhere in the dinghy so they don't drown?" "Hell no," I said, but my answer left my conscience unsettled. "Mumble grumble," I said as I got out of bed again. This time I put on a pair of shorts and my glasses. I went back up on deck and further engaged my uninvited guests in conversation. The women on shore were gone.

I learned that one of them was a soldier recently returned from Kuwait. Ah, that's were my son David is. "That's better than Iraq," I said. Another of the swimmers replied, "I thought Kuwait was in Iraq on the Dead Sea." This one wasn't one of America's finest. Another 5 minutes of idle chatter and I convinced them to try to return to the shore. They swam away. However, because of my dang conscience I stayed up and watched them with the binoculars just in case a rescue was needed. It took
them 15 to 20 minutes to get there.

Finally I went back to bed and this time I was chilled to the bone. It took an extra blanket and Libby's best efforts at cuddling to warm me back up.

p.s. Our gunkhole book discouraged us from traveling up the Rappahannock River to Tappahanock. It sounded inhospitable. Instead, we are exploring some of the very many side waterways. Tonight we are on Myers Creek off the Corrotoman River which is off the Rappahannock River. It's pretty but there are lots of waterfront houses around. Tomorrow, we'll look for more seclusion and nature. The weather is perfect. Mild temperatures and gentle breezes.