Happy St. Patrick's Day

Ambler Isle
V and S
Mon 21 Mar 2011 14:57
St. Patty's Day Dance
Another fine sunset
Other St. Patty Guests
Owner Jackie Table top
Amber Isle at Anchor in Harbour
March 17, 2011
Big day at Salt Pond, Long Island.  The Regatta awards ceremony was the reason to celebrate.  So was St. Patrick's Day.  The boaters from Georgetown, here after the regatta, planned a dinner dance at The Long Island Breeze Resort.  Owner, Mike, offered a choice of lamb chops, pork chops, or chicken plus trimmings.  Ron and Karen, Seadancer, acted as DJ, a role they fill often in Georgetown.  50 people came for dinner.  Everyone was encouraged to bring "something off their boat they wanted to get rid of" wrapped as a gift to exchange.   We packed up a DVD.  In return we got a book, Sex Lives of the Presidents, and an assortment of boat hardware.  The worst prize was a box of macaroni and cheese. The best was a boarding ladder.    No, maybe ours was the best.  Afterwards we danced the night away to oldies.  We finally met Run Aground Ron from 55'Hatteras  Bout Time Tex.  Ron was the master mind behind the "dinghy disco ball" scheme that was rained out last month.  Ron and his wife Charm danced every song.  He even led the group in a conga line, shaming those who would sit it out, "Don't be old!"   While the dinner was only so-so, the entertainment was good. 
Since the arrival of the Georgetown regulars, Salt Pond has not been the same.  The VHF radio is much busier.  The dinghy dock is full, the laundry is unavailable.  Everyday a new announcement is made for a beach happy hour, a pot luck supper ashore, a restaurant meal, even bus tours.  We receive invitations for each evening.  It feels much like Georgetown.  Actually, I was a little disappointed when we learned of the bus tour of the south end of the island only 30 minutes before the bus was leaving.  We did not have time to get ready and go.  Instead, Valt took us on our own tour by dinghy.  Later someone complained that the bus seats were not padded and the roads so rough and pocked.  He actually had to look ahead for the next bump and stand up. So maybe we did not miss much. 
Friday we decided to move closer to shore.  The winds were starting to stir up the water and we could not run our watermaker.    We re-anchored in 6' of water during the low tide.  We have gotten over the shallow water here and are happy to have any water beneath the hull.   We also went to the local book exchange and swapped out 11 books.  Because the moon is full today, the tide would be more extreme both ways, swinging about 4'.  The moon is also  unusually close to earth today, and appears much larger than normal.  Friday evening we went to Southern Estate where Nancy and husband Aime had a small supper party. Also attending were Don and Sue from Jubilee, and Rockin' Ron the DJ and  Kool Karen from Seadancer.  Each guest brought a dish to pass and we enjoyed a night of lively conversation.