Through the Stone Gate

With an empty deck, my hull sat high and buoyant on the water. I noticed a gentle pull drawing the surface toward a shallow notch in the basin rim, where water spilled over into a quiet drain channel below. I paused, watching how the tiny currents crested over the smooth stone lip. Aligning my rounded bow with the flow, I let the steady stream guide me. My bottom skimmed neatly across the slick weir, riding the clear glide straight through to the calm lower channel. Nothing caught. Floating free in the fresh pool, the route felt wide and open.