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CHAPTER 28 Ringing the Buoy

The maples are ablaze in the 9:00 a.m. light, brilliantly declaring it fall and nearing the end of our rowing season. But for now, we can enjoy this delicious show of red, gold, and green gracing the river's shores before pondering the bleak winter months without being on the water.

Fall is special on our river, not just for the eye candy, although that would be enough, but also for the crisp, cool fall air. Just breathing is a delight. By now, we have many rows under our belts, and our technique is the best of the season. We don't have to work as hard or concentrate as consistently. Our muscles have the memory of what to do and when to do it without any conscious effort on our part. Our bodies are aerobically fit and strong from hours of rows. This all leaves us free to enjoy the sensuous day.

The nonhuman species are less busy in the fall. Ducklings have left their mothers' feathered breasts, osprey fledglings have flown to claim their own territory, and turtles are not as evident since sun puddles are not very warm this early in the fall. It's quiet. Soothing.

The Panthers rowed upriver amidst this lovely spectacle. The tide was going out, so we were rowing against it.

"This is like rowing through butter," Linda shouted.

Ann responded, "Current is really strong this morning."

"You know, last night was a full moon. The tides get stronger when the moon is full," I added.

"Did it also rain last night? That could be adding to the current," says Linda.

"Ann, look-cormorants on the pier drying their wings!" I shout back.

"Where?"

"Two o'clock."

"What are you two saying?" Linda asks.

"Looking at the cormorants lining up on the pier drying their wings at two o'clock," Ann answers.

Lou is bowing and sometimes has trouble hearing what's going on upfront.

"Where do you see pomegranates? I didn't think they grew around here," she shouts.

Linda, laughing, "No Lou, cormorants, the birds."

Lou, now laughing with her, "Oh, I thought you were saying pomegranates."

Ann asks, "Linda, what is funny back there?"

Laughing, Linda tries to tell Ann what Lou has misheard. "Lou thought we said pomegranates."

Ann, "Pomegranates don't even grow around here. Where did she think she saw pomegranates?"

"What is Lou saying back there?" I ask.

By the time the messages of misheard words go back and forth and back again, the entire quad is in a laugh uproar.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha," Linda says, beside herself while Lou tries to explain how she thought she heard "pomegranates."

This is how we earned the name Quadraphonics, as the club president christened us. We are often heard laughing on the river.

We did our power ten, twenty, and thirty pyramid, some steady state, some balance exercises, and slow-to-high stroke rate routines. We then rested at the neck of the port before turning to go back upriver.

"Has anyone here rung the bell?" I asked.

"You mean out in the Delaware?" asks Linda.

"Yeah, it's so calm today. It would be a good day for it. What do you say? Want to give it a try?"

"Danielle, how do you ring the bell? I mean, do you have to get out of the boat and stand on the buoy? I'm not sure I'm up for that," says Lou.

"I know a few from our club who have done this. Have you, Danielle?" Linda asks.

"Yeah, I did it in my single a couple of years ago."

"How far is the buoy into the main river?" asks Ann.

"It's just right at the mouth of the port. Not far out," I respond.

"Who would get out of the boat to stand on the buoy to ring the bell? Wouldn't the boat go over?" Lou asks.

I laugh, "Ringing the bell does not mean rowers getting out of the boat to ring the buoy bell. It means rowing a ring around the bell."

"Oh, that makes me feel much better," sighs Lou. "But I'm still not sure I like going to the port."

"Oh, come on. There's nothing to be afraid of. The tide is coming in, so we can't drift out to sea," I insist. "How does everyone else feel?"

"I'm good," says Linda.

"Okay by me," says Ann.

"All right. If that's what everyone wants to do," sighs Lou, sounding less than enthusiastic.

So out we go. It is calm and beautiful, and the sun is shining. There are no container boats in the harbor; the sky is blue, no cumulous clouds, but it's still a little scary being out there. A ship could come up to the port entrance at any moment, and our quad doesn't have the horsepower to get out of the way with alacrity. Not only would we be in immediate trouble, but we would probably be thrown in jail. It's illegal for vessels other than container ships to be out here.

As we get close, Lou says, "What do we do now? Just go around it? Which way should we go? Clockwise, counterclockwise? Does it matter?"

It's clear that Lou is getting very nervous.

Of course Linda is on her phone, talking to her husband. "Yeah, Hon, we are at the port just circling the buoy." She laughs. "We are fine. No cargo ships are in the port or anywhere we can see on the Delaware. Okay, we won't be here long." And to us, "Pat's afraid he will have to bail us out of jail." She laughs a halfhearted laugh. She's getting nervous out here.

Lou is next. "Dan, I just want to let you know we are at the mouth of the port where the buoy is. No, we are not in trouble; well, it's kind of like a rite of passage for rowers. If you come out here to ring the bell, you are accepted into the in crowd. I don't know which crowd, and I don't know why we are here. No, we don't ring the bell on the buoy; we row a ring around the buoy. Anyway, in case we don't make it out alive, I wanted you to know where to find the bodies." She turns to us, saying, "Dan says being out here is not good."

While I can hear the nervousness caused by this adventure, I also see the crew's pride. Now we can all brag about having "rung the bell." Yeah, that five bucks might get us a cappuccino.