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Dear Salty,

I’ve noticed something that bothers me in Oriental, and like most things that bother me, I wonder if it’s me or the thing I’m noticing that’s the problem.

Sometimes the town dock is empty. When you visit, the signs say you can stay up to 48 hours. (Laura Turgeon drawing)

My boat lives near Oriental but I live somewhere else. One thing I do to make me feel better about living apart from my boat is looking at the web cams on TownDock. Most mornings I look through the little window on my computer screen to check the weather and to see what’s happening in the harbor.

One thing I look for is to see if there’s any space at town dock. It’s not like I can rush to my boat and be there in less than 5 hours. Nonetheless I enjoy thinking that that little space is just waiting for me to sail down to The Bean for a cup of coffee.

Sometimes I notice that these two community spots are taken up by the same boat(s) for days or even weeks at a time. Over this time I notice my mood going from “nice boat – wonder where it’s from” to “must not be local cause they’re still there” to “that boat’s been there a while” to “WTF is going on! – how’s a person supposed to get a cup of coffee around here!”.

Is there a problem here, or have I become an internet lurking curmudgeon?

Signed,

Long Distance Sailor

Ahoy There L.D.S.,

My, my, my- sounds like someone hasn’t hoisted his sail (or anything else) in a very long time.

Salty’s famous “Hey Sailor” pose

Oh, don’t get me wrong. Salty likes to see a frequent changing at the dock. The more boats at the dock, the more captains there are and the more opportunities for Salty to say, “Hey Sailor, new in town?”

But as with so much in this world, hon, it’s a matter of timing. Or to put it another way, length of stay matters some times more than others. Lots more sailors want the dock in the spring and the fall — demand’s up cos of all those snowbirds passing thru. And same thing in summer when sailors figure out that there’s no wind blowing so they may as well hang out at the town dock.

But right now, in the winter, it doesn’t matter so much. This is the time of year when far fewer sailors come through. Sailor supply being down, Salty welcomes the captain who knows his way around a dock line and wants to extend his stay. I love getting to know the captains who linger for a while at the free dock – no dock fees means more money to spend on Salty.

Salty likes a man that can raise an anchor

Oh sure, there is the occasional sailor who overstays his welcome — I have had some experience with that myself — but I haven’t seen too much of that F.D.A. (Free Dock Abuse) happening out at the public wharf.

(I also took a little survey of the daily Bean hotties and found out that while a boat may occasionally stretch it out some, it is not a chronic problem. Usually, boats at the town dock leave after 48 hours if they know other boats are in a holding pattern in the anchorage. Kinda like the line-up outside Salty’s door…

So, LDS, if all you have to worry about is a captain staying too long, then you need to come do all the bright work on my boat with a Q-Tip because you might just have too much time on your hands!

Row your dinghy and build up your biceps for Salty

Oh, no, wait. That was a little pushy of me. What I meant to say hon, is that Salty would welcome seeing you and your big manly boat tied up at our little village dock. But if the dock happens to be full, don’t stay away! How about you drop anchor in our harbor and use those strong arms to row your dinghy on in? Salty likes a good salty bicep or two and much prefers them to whining.

So come on down! Coffee can be obtained at The Bean by foot, bike, car, boat, and during the occasional Nor’easter, by canoe right down Hodges Street. (See above: Salty’s preference for biceps, one if by land, two if by sea….)

Since you will now have so much obsession-free time in the mornings, I am passing on my recipe for Free Dock Pancakes:

Salty’s Free Dock Walnut, White Chocolate, and Banana Pancakes

Large amounts of sugar, fat and carbs can make your problems more manageable

2 cups Bisquick
1 egg
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons maple flavoring or vanilla extract
½ cup white chocolate chip
½ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
3-4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 bananas, sliced
Combine first six ingredients until well blended. Pour a scant ¼ cup of batter in a hot skillet. Top each pancake with some of the white chocolate chips and walnuts. Cook until the bubbles start to pop, flip over for another minute or so. After all the pancakes have been made, wipe out the skillet and melt the butter and brown sugar. Add the bananas. Saute gently until the bananas are slightly browned and softened. Serve the pancakes topped with the bananas, syrup, and anything else you desire. Makes 4 servings.

Eat up, get plenty of sugar in your bloodstream, and go out and yell at those kids on your lawn.

Bless Your Now Obsession-Free Little Heart,

Salty

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Ask Salty - reliable advice for your life. Salty is an experienced homemaker, licensed captain, and former dancer. Her hobbies include taxidermy and taking long walks on the beach. Contact Salty at salty@towndock.net