Harbormaster’s Delight
Ripples of the 2018 Water is Life Walk continue to spread!
A few days ago, some five weeks after we poured the clean SourceWater of the Howsatunnuck into the Long Island Sound, we received a wonderful phone message:
Hi Lindsey, it’s Ross Hatfield, Stratford Harbormaster, how you doing?
I just want to tell you and Carole that, um, we have had a journey on our boat. And one of the stops was the Merrimack river in Newburyport. And, ah, what a river. It runs about 12 knots actually, and with a current we had a hard time docking actually. We only came in the river about maybe about a half mile to the first local marina there. But it was—it was quite a river and I thought of you and ah I’d never been on the river before but as we left Newburyport, about 5 miles out into the bay, we encountered 5 humpback whales. What a sight! I haven’t seen a whale in so long. So it was quite an exciting trip and I just want to tell you that I thought of you guys and hope you are doing well. Ok. Again, it’s Ross Hatfield, Stratford Harbormaster. Bye.
Background
As we neared the end of the 28-day prayer walk, Grandmother Carole realized she needed to pour the clean Source Water into the sea not from a place on the land, but actually out where the mixing of the fresh and salt water is visible.
What a scramble! For two days we tried to find a volunteer with a boat large enough for our whole party (7 adults and two children). In the end, our only taker was the Stratford Harbormaster, Ross Hatfield. It was a small boat, so Grandmother could only take one other person with her. She selected Erik Burcroff so that there would be a balance of masculine energy along with the feminine.
The rest of divided up on shore–some staying at the dock to be able to see Grandmother and the Water off properly, and be there for sure when she returned. Three of us trekked to the closest point on land where we could be as close as possible to the final ceremonial confluence blessing, Source to Sea.
Grandmother Rema Loeb carried the sacred vessel made of clay and bits of silver, offering a final prayer from shore while Steph Kent and Lindsey Peterson tied the last bundle.