On double takes and head checks

Springtime is here and we're rolling out of the winter Dockyard lull - and you know what that means... TIME TO WORK! The Dockyard is humming again and we're going to be starting up our weekly working sessions. Monomoy No. 1 is being prepared to take on Chesapeake Bay again, and we've got a giant foam model to finish! WEDNESDAYS and FRIDAYS starting at 7 pm, the shops will be open, so come on out and lend a hand!

BT

Keeping an eye on local shipyards, this week's noteworthy news is the haul out of Pride of Baltimore II in Portsmouth. If you look carefully while driving on I-464 you can make out her masts near the Ntellos Wireless Pavillion. She's in the process of gearing up for her 23rd season of sailing as Maryland's goodwill ambasador to the world.

But as great as she is, her proximity poses a problem. I don't know about anyone else, but when tall ships are around I can be a real hazard on area roadways. Sighting Pride's masts last Thursday, I swerved into adjacent lanes with excitement as I craned my neck to get a better view - road be damned. Now, I'm not advocating this, nor making light of what is very probably a serious defect but the excitement is hard to contain. Since we have a nice cache of bright yellow vehicle flags at the Dockyard (the kind you normally see emblazoned with a sports team logo - and we use to mark escort vehicles when towing), I've decided to mount one on my SUV to alert adjacent motorists to my condition. If anyone else needs one, please stop by during our regularly scheduled working sessions and we will fill your prescription at no cost. Just another way NHS is contributing to the safety of motorists in the Tidewater Area. Side effects may include tunnel vision, loss of situational awareness, momentary enthusiastic insanity, loss of appetite and degredation of decision making ability. Seek help for enthusiasm lasting longer than four hours. Consult your nautical historical professional to determine if a vehicle warning flag is right for you.

I'm here for you - this is our support group. I'm still working on the twelve steps.

NNNN