Guest Entry: Kathy Bassett

Tuesday July 10, 2007

Norfolk, Va.

When Zach and his siblings were young I often read to them a story called, The Runaway Bunny, in which Mommy Bunny did whatever necessary in order to follow her Baby Bunny when he tried to get away from her. Later, as they dreamed about where they themselves would go someday I reminded them, “Remember the Runaway Bunny!” And so, on July 10, I flew out to the east coast to visit my son during his sailing adventure.

Zach’s sister Shannon and I arrived in Norfolk, Virginia on the afternoon of July 10 eager to see Zach and his boat. Zach and I had agreed that I’d be more comfortable sleeping in a hotel rather than on his boat so he planned to stay in Norfolk during my visit. In the time that it took for me and Shannon to go up to our room, drop our bags, and return to the lobby, the skies opened up. We were soaked to our undies by the time we arrived at the marina to find Zachary, who was wearing nothing but a swimsuit and lots of facial hair. It was so good to see my boy!

After Zach endured a long, wet hug from his mother the three of us traipsed down the dock to Zach’s slip and there she was, the Erica J. I had seen pictures of the boat, but standing next to it, it looked a little smaller than I had expected. With the rain still coming down hard, Zach instructed Shannon and I to rush inside as soon as he opened the hatch so he could close it up quickly and avoid having all of his belongings soaked…again. Lots laughter, a flurry of activity, and suddenly the three of us were standing inside, afraid to sit down since we were all soaking wet and the seating area was covered with navigational maps, fraying straw hats, a jar of half-eaten pasta sauce, and a few dollar bills laid out to dry. Did I say standing inside? There was just enough floor space for our three pairs of feet, and just enough head room for us each to hunch over—way over—if our knees were bent. There was no room for any of us to move. It was hilarious!

With me sitting on the step/cooler and Shannon sitting on my lap, I watched my 6’7” son contort his body in this very small space in order to put on a t-shirt. I tried to see past him to the head and the v berth, but with the three of us in the cabin this was impossible. The only way I can imagine Zach being able to stretch out while he sleeps is by putting his feet in the sink.

Sopping wet and squeezed into that dimly lit and cluttered little cabin one thing was crystal clear: Zach was completely content with his living quarters, was very self-sufficient, and was quite pleased with how his adventure was unfolding. I was so happy to see this! I was also happy that I was staying in a hotel. We left three wet spots in the public transportation van while returning to the hotel to dry off before dinner.

To demonstrate the physical dimensions of the boat’s living quarters, below is a picture of Zach standing on the floor of the cabin (on a drier day) with the hatch wide open. One can imagine how he folds himself up once inside.

Wednesday, July 11

Norfolk, Va.

The highlight of the day was a tour of the Norfolk Harbor aboard Zach’s boat. Although we tried to put up the sails for a bit, there wasn’t much wind and there was quite a lot of commercial traffic so we motored most of the time. It was really fun! We saw a number of huge ships in dry-dock, and many military vessels. Shannon and I were also fascinated with the jellyfish.

I planned ahead for the heat and wore my swimsuit and a wide-brimmed hat. Forty minutes into our ride, with Shannon basking in the sun on the bow and Zach handling the tiller looking cool as could be, I had resorted to dipping an empty water bottle into the salt water and sprinkling myself. After 42 minutes I was repeatedly dumping salt water directly on top of my head.

When we finished our tour of the harbor—which I really did enjoy—I dashed into the air-conditioned building next to the marina and drank cold water. I followed this with a mercifully cold shower in the marina locker room. Zach seemed to have anticipated my limitations more than I did. He was prepared to join us at the hotel and do some sight-seeing during our visit. At home he normally uses brown paper grocery bags as luggage. Since his current home is surrounded by (and occasionally filled with) water, he has graduated to using large ziplock bags to transport his few possessions. The man lives simply!

At night we enjoyed dinner in a neighborhood seafood restaurant on a small inlet away from downtown.

Thursday, July 12

Virginia Beach, Va.

We spent the day at the beach! We swam; we snoozed; we saw dolphins! It was a perfect day. The fighter jets flying overhead every so often added a Star Wars effect to the scene. Zach stepped on a lady while trying to fly a kite.

On the boardwalk in Virginia Beach we saw an unmistakable resemblance between Zachary and Poseidon.

Friday, July 13

Berkley Plantation, somewhere near Williamsburg,Va.

After a pleasant drive through the countryside, we visited a plantation rich in history. Shannon was impressed that most of our first presidents had been hosted at this home; I was impressed that thousands of Union soldiers had camped on the grounds; Zach was impressed because the distillation of bourbon was perfected here. Go figure!

We ended the day by having what should have been a relaxing dinner. Instead, Shannon and Zach had a contest to see who could eat the most breadsticks at Olive Garden. I was so proud.

Saturday, July 14

Williamsburg, Va.

By the time Shannon and I boarded the plane to return home this evening, we were pretty tired. Zach spent the entire day with us at Colonial Williamsburg. Yes, this was my idea, but Shannon and Zach seemed to enjoy it too.

When Shannon and I arrived in Norfolk Zach had just passed the 1000 mile mark on his journey. The buoy below, in the Norfolk Harbor, is mile marker zero on the intracoastal waterway that has brought him this far north. It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet up with him during his adventure, even if I wimped out on the sailing!