Mayday on the Chesapeake Bay

Welcome back!

We had a lovely weekend getaway to Maryland's Eastern shore, even with a few unscheduled "events." Sadly, our lunch to Annapolis was thwarted... Let's get straight to the good stuff.

Those of you who leave near the water know that happy, peaceful, joyful feeling you get when you smell the salty spray of water and feel the wind in your hair.

It was a gorgeous day on the bay- lots of sailors and boaters out. Our foursome included Mr. Southern and I and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. We were powering along when all of a sudden, a loud beeping noise interrupted my feeling of utter content.

Loud calls of "check this" and "look at that" ensued. Being a boating novice, I knew enough to stay out of the way and sat down in the back clutching my bag. I quickly realized we were in serious trouble when my father-in-law announced, "we're going down." (Mr. Southern believes he said, "we're sinking" but regardless, it was not good news to me or my brand new Matt & Nat handbag). We donned our oh-so stylish but oh-so-important life preservers. As Mr. C called in a "Mayday" to the Coast Guard, we flagged down a passerby boat.

One of the first and most important things to learn about boaters- they look out for each other. This is not like having a flat tire on the side of the road and praying you're not struck by a passerby... it was amazing how many people heard our call on the radio or saw our stalled boat and came to check on us.

After a seemingly interminable amount of time, we (Mr. Southern and Mr. C) were able to stop the water flowing into the boat, thereby allowing the pump to catch up and get the existing sea water out of the boat. I madly texted Sarah, whom we were supposed to meet for lunch. (Turns out Mr. Southern had already informed her, "we are taking on water and will have to turn around. I'm sorry- we'll have to reschedule lunch." My text went something like- "I believe our boat is sinking and I hope to be alive later to see you but it will not be for lunch today.")

lovely fishing vessel on its way over to see if we needed help

A bit later, we I finally realized we were not I was not going to drown sink in the Bay. Which is a good thing, because as Mr. Southern and I later discussed, we likely would have had to drag his father kicking and screaming off of the sinking ship (in his defense, it is a beautiful boat).

An Anne Arundel County Police Officer was first on the scene and stayed with us to ensure our safety(?). Shortly thereafter, the Coast Guard arrived and actually boarded our boat. This was serious stuff. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. C have impeccable records and were not smuggling anything. These guys are the real deal- check out those guns!

The towboat finally arrived, hooked us up, and we were on our way back home. Crazy sea adventure over.

The only logical panacea (besides a few glasses of wine on the tow back home)-- steamed crabs and a pitcher of beer at The Crab Claw.

Yes, the boys at Vineyard Vines were right- this is the place to go for crabs, that is if you can't get a charter with Russell.

The rest of the weekend's activity fortunately paled in comparison, and with vistas like this, it was the perfect relaxing weekend.

Mr. Southern ventured out on a fishing expedition Saturday with his brother and prepared a fabulous grilled dinner and fish fry for Sunday breakfast. And amazing peach pancakes (you must try this- dice white peaches and gently fold in pancake batter. Cook as normal. Fabulous). Needless to say, my diet is back on in a big way.

Speaking of which, we paid a visit to Miss Piggsly, the pet pig down the street. She is quite friendly and actually rather cute.

No judgement here- we're currently the crazy house with four large dogs.

Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend!

-Emmie