This morning we were given another second chance. Our other “second chances”, at least I interpret them as this, have been the through hull fitting busting while we are still in Annapolis and close to a travel lift, the steering arm  breaking in that tornado while we were just outside of Little Creek Virginia, where we found the one welder who happened to still work with bronze, and a loaner Jeep to go there,  and  the fuel inspection ports cracking, also in Little Creek, less than a mile from another welder that happened to have  perfect fitting replacements sitting on his desk.

This morning I was getting ready to go in to the Town Dock to go running. And the dinghy was gone.  My heart sank. And it sank more when I saw the line cut. It was cut down low, as if someone swam, or silently came by another boat and simply cut the line. We didn’t hear a thing.

There were guys clamming fairly close. Walking in neck deep water. One guy spoke English. He saw our dismay and said he had seen the leettle boat at 11:00 last night,  but not this morning.

I felt sick. 

We called Rafeal, the owner of Tagus Yacht Center. We already had made arrangement to go there today for a transmission check up, and we had gotten to know Rafeal already when we went there to buy extra anchor chain. So we knew he was a very helpful person who speaks great English.

The irony here is that we have been going on and on about how wonderful the people are here. But the thing is they still are!!

Rafeal came out in the Tagus boat and took us ashore. We thought we spotted the dinghy deflated on the town beach through the binoculars.  Rafeal was also upset because this gives his town a bad name. And he said it was probably not locals who stole it. We got to the Town Dock and found the dinghy. It was hauled up all the way to the sea wall and deflated. There were a few guys standing there talking excitedly. They pointed and we found the engine!!! Removed from the dinghy but it was there on the beach. And one guy had found our oars and boat hook floating in the water and brought them in, he saw the dinghy and thought it looked suspicious. We all figure  whoever stole the dinghy was trying to unload it and got spooked and ran off. The guys hanging there as well as Rafeal said it couldn’t have been a local because everyone knows each other here.  And it made the sea wall guys upset too to know that the dinghy was stolen.  Rafeal called the yard and had a van come to get the dinghy. The sea wall guys, Rafeal and Robert hauled the dinghy, and the engine into the van. And then Rafeal took us back to our boat. 

The dinghy plugs and the gas tank are gone. But at least they are easy to replace.

I was crying and laughing at the same time.  Now we  have a second chance to be prepared, even though it means we have to expect bad people.  At night, we have to take the engine off and secure it to the rail, and haul the dinghy up on the davits. This way, is someone wants to steal it, they will make noise.

We have insurance, but it still was a sickening thought to have to replace the whole dinghy and engine. We love this dinghy! And we love the engine!  Someone up there is looking after us!!!!

  We need to keep having faith in people, but with the dinghy up and put away from now on!