None of us saw it. We were blissfully relaxing on the boat to Yacht Rock Radio or floating in the lake with our eyes closed and faces to the sun. It was the most perfect day, most perfect company, and most perfect feeling. It is hard to put into words.
To capture the urgency in our engineer's voice: "Guys, that boat over there is on fire." We quickly snapped out of our morning daze. Then came the command, "Everybody out of the water - NOW." Knowing our engineer, we knew this was serious, so we wasted no time following the orders. When an engineer spots mechanical smoke, you better believe it's time to act! We all went to the back of our boat to get to the ladder. (If you imagined that in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice, no judgment - I did too.)
But then, a new problem emerged. The end of the black docking rope was nowhere to be found. This was more than just an inconvenience. Starting the boat could lead to the rope getting tangled in the propeller, a situation that could put us all in grave danger (at the very least, with the marina we rented the boat from). Why did this have to happen now, of all times?
That's when our athletic friend, the Cicerone, stepped up. Locating a black rope underwater in Seneca Lake is no small feat, but he didn't hesitate, trusting the Captain to keep the motor off; he dove under to find and untangle the rope. After a few dives, our Cicerone successfully brought the rope back up to the boat, jumped on, and folded up the ladder.
Now, it was all up to the Captain...
*A Cicerone is the beer equivalent of a sommelier. Yup, he's our "Beer Guy".
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