Em's Mess&Clutter: Next time, we wear...maybe Captain Blood costumes.

Trogdor the Burninator, which was partially piloted by Gabe in 2008

Every Spring, the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore hosts a very goofy, and very popular, Kinetic Sculpture Race. I last attended in ’08 when Gabe was a 10th grader at The Baltimore Lab School, and the school’s entry (at the “Bush League” level, meaning non-seaworthy,) was the pedal-powered Trogdor the Burninator. The sculptures (and accompanying teams, and fans,) take a 15 mile walk along many blocks at the south end of the city, pausing (approximately mid-way through,) at the Canton waterfront where those so equipped trundle down the launch ramp into the Inner Harbor and attempt to prove their wet-mettle by rounding the pier and making it back to shore on the pedal or oar power of their crew.
On May 4 I got a new perspective on the race as first-mate of the safety boat--Allen’s nameless skiff in which he, for the last few years, has anchored just a smidge west of the main action, ready to assist any sculptures whose steering or floating equipment isn’t proving to be quite adequate.

Cypress Marine in the rear window

So, on Saturday morning, we ate big at the Breakfast Shop, and left Cypress Marine.

It's NOT ominous at all that the streetlight in the background has vultures perching all along it.

Halfway down route 10, the highway wind proved too enticing to the old blue pool float whose function was to be a comfortable sit-upon, and it flew out of the boat. We pinned it under a duffel of windbreakers and a bag of water and granola bars.

This is how you tie the rope to the cleat. Got that? Good. That makes one of us.

Hanover Street Bridge, and sittin' on the dock of the...harbor, waiting for the boat trailer to get wheeled in.

We parked the truck and launched from the public ramp behind Harbor Hospital. From there, it was a fifteen minute (or so) motor around the point of Fort McHenry (no cannons firing today) to the Canton Waterfront Park.

It's a nice green buoy.

Out of focus, yes, (we were chopping along at a decent clip,) but significant in that it is a red marker. Here's the mnemonic: Red, Right, Returning...or how to position your boat in the channel. Here, we're outgoing so it's on our left.

The Lehigh Cement towers, Baltimore Inner Harbor

There are some seriously big ships. Here, Navy vessels Gordon and Gilliland

A paddlewheeler as we approach the Canton waterfront

Canton Waterfront Park in view

We were early, and had a little time to kill, so we made use of the porta-potties before the crowds arrived, strolled around a bit, and lounged.

Our friends the Porta-Potties. Visit #1, pre-crowd.

Wasting time. Comparing shades of arctic blond.

Allen is geek-bonding over audio equipment

Ok, smile, because after this it's hats-on from here on out.

As the floating entries came up Boston Street, we putted a little ways into the Harbor and took our position. By our position, I mean close enough to monitor the action, but discreetly out of the way enough not to annoy the kayakers who are the first line of assistance and consider any help from a motor to be largely unnecessary. Even if it isn’t. Unnecessary. (I should also point out that where anything having to do with managing the boat is concerned, “we” actually means Allen, except in that I was there, and also except in that I did--for the first time ever, and most inexpertly--drive the boat a little on our return trip across the Harbor.)

This kayak has a greenish mesh drape over it from which it is sprouting actual sprouts.

This guy's got a tiny video camera on the tripod

And this guy is placing the orange markers, around which the sculptures are meant to navigate.

The Platypus rounds the pier

Here comes the Mad Scientist

The Hogwart's Express comes complete with a dementor, which may explain why they had such trouble with portside listing, and not much forward progress.

"Go Ask Alice," the Wonderland-themed entry, powered by quite a few people.

Then the entrants enter the water, one at a time, and the crowd inevitably roars. Each sculpture is piloted by from one to many riders, and each comes with an entourage of costumed pit crew, who cheer and yell from the pier as their entry either moves or flounders.

No problems yet

Mostly, we spectated until the kids in the good ship Crabtastic began to drift out to sea, at which point we motored around behind them and gave them a nudge or two in the direction of the dock.

The kids on the Crabtastic need a push. We're pushing.

Along the Harbor wall...we take turns running to the potties while a 3 year old gawks in awe at our boat

So yes, I operated the outboard for a bit on the return trip across the Harbor. Allen insists that it becomes intuitive, but I don’t think I’ve got the best brain ever for right-left differentiation, so it took some focus for me to remember to push the tiller if I wanted to turn right, and pull when I preferred left. At any rate, I got us to the Right of the Red marker as we were Returning, then turned it over to the Skipper rather than risk any unnecessary collision of boat with dock.