"We can't get aboard your boat to do the work. A duck has nested under your dodger, and she won't let anyone come aboard,." came the word from a repair person sent to the boat. Thus the hostage situation began.

"Mama Crane," a mature C&C 38 that lives at Selby Bay Yacht Club in Edgewater, had a special guest, a female Mallard, who had laid three eggs on top of a sail bag that had been left under the dodger. She wouldn't get off her nest, and Julien wouldn't move the nest or eggs. Is he such a true sailor, environmentalist, and someone who is respectful of Mother Nature? Or was he slightly moved by the thought of that $10,000 fine that protects the nest and eggs by the Migratory Bird Act? Possibly a combination.
Here we are in the early Spring, the best time to sail in the Chesapeake, and he can't use his boat. Well, that's what friends are for. Several friends took him out for the weekends, but he was really looking forward to sailing his boat, the one with the new headsail and clean bottom. So much for that part.

Now that two week cruise with the Chavurah at the end of June . . . if calculations are correct, the ducks should hatch the week before the cruise starts, so it should be merely a matter of cleaning up the leftovers and provisioning and leaving, right? That all depands on Mama Duck's schedule.
We are hopeful that since Julien didn't disturb her, Mama Duck will release Mama Crane, and everyone will be happy.

Julien Hofberg, the Captain of "Mama Crane" wrote the above article