Machine Guns And Boats

So there I was...fixated on a manned M240 machine gun on the bow of a Coast Guard Defender Class vessel coming at high speed straight for me as I was cruising up the Thames River from the upper helm of my 34 foot Mainship trawler.  Good friends of ours, Rich and Gail, had joined us for a day of cruising our home waters around Mystic, CT.  We decided to head a bit west along the coast and up the Thames River to view the New London and Groton shorelines where lie points of interest like Electric Boat where they build submarines and the Coast Guard Academy.  As we moved our way up the Groton side of the river, the before mentioned imposing Coast Guard vessel was coming right for me at very high speed and I couldn't imagine what I had done wrong to bring this wrath upon me.  I called for Kim to be at the ready and prepare to be boarded as they came to a quick halt off my port bow.  One of the Coast Guard members pointed to a spot closer to shore and said, "Move your vessel, there."  When an official with that much authority and fire power tells you what to do it is always wise to do it without question.  I immediately moved to where he said and we floated there wondering what was going on as he sped off to the middle of the river.  A couple minutes later we saw a Navy submarine coming down the river as it passed under the New London Bridge and then by us as we gave it a wide berth thanks to our Coast Guard friends.  We continued up the river and passed the submarine museum where the Nautilus submarine sits in the water at a dock where visitors can tour the inside.  The Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine and the first to travel under the ice at the North Pole.  Further upstream was the Navy sub base where several nuclear submarines are housed between missions under very tight security and many of the machine guns and Coast Guard vessels like the one I encountered earlier.  Further upstream was the quiet anchoring spot I had been in search of where we dropped anchor, had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed the peace and quiet with friends.  That peace and quiet is only there because the military men and women that I briefly met earlier do such an exceptional job.