Luna Bar July 23, 2021

What a time I had last night down on the lower Potomac River. I don't get many chances to hang out in the wide-open waters of the tidal Potomac so I didn't hesitate when Dean Naujoks of Potomac Riverkeeper invited me to join him at the Luna Bar. Plus, after a year of being quarantined, I quickly accept all invitations. Especially ones on the river.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into and I had never heard of the Luna Bar, but I arrived at the Bell Haven Marina, near Alexandria Va., on a beautiful evening, anticipating a relaxing time on the river. Dean and a couple of other lucky guests were waiting for me at the dock when I arrived and I hopped on board the official Potomac Riverkeeper boat. Carley and Madvey were obviously veterans of the Luna Bar routine and they helped to untie the boat and they had their towels and swimsuits ready.

It was a short trip out to the "Luna Bar" which was a floating dock, 30 ft by 12 ft. It was a wooden dock on giant, steel pontoons. It was moored to a mooring ball far out away from the other boats of the marina, closer to the shipping channel. It had a little roof for shade, some tables, chairs, solar/battery powered lights, a grill, and a full bar!

The place as already jumping when I arrived, and there were two small skiffs tied up to the downstream end of the dock. We tied up the Riverkeeper boat on the port side and joined the party. The Latino dance-music was booming and everyone was smiling as I went around and introduced myself. Gotta love that salsa beat!

Wilson Bridge and National Harbor in the distance

There were about 15 of us on the dock, some chatting, some dancing and a few folks cooling off in the river. The tide was going out and there was a bit of a current pushing on our dock, the swimmers had to hold on to the ropes to keep from drifting away. I reached for the cans of beer that I brought, but Dean got busy at the bar, making everyone some fancy, newfangled gin and tonics with tons of ice and sweet basil?

Then it was time for one of the main events, to sit back, drink a refreshing beverage, and watch the colorful sunset. What a sight! We don't get the big wide-open views like that at Sycamore Island! It was a treat for me to see the Wilson bridge upriver, the Ferris wheel at national harbor and all of the sail boats, ships and skiffs plying the calm summer waters. I didn't notice any eagles or ospreys but there were a few herring gulls and I watched as the Bonipart's gulls, with their black caps, hovered near us.

The sun soon dipped behind some distant hills upriver and the red and orange light faded away. So we turned our chairs around and waited for the next big event, the full moon, big and bright, coming up over the trees down by Fort Washington.

By now I had made a lot of new friends. I met Pablo, who paddled his paddle board out to the Luna Bar in the moonlight. He runs the Potomac Riverkeeper paddle board clean-up days at Bell Haven Marina. That's a Riverkeeper event on the second Saturday of every month.

I also met Fanny and Paul, two members of the gangplank community, a boathouse marina in the Washington Channel. Paul's is actually the Commodore there. Meagan an Talya showed up later, not clear as to how they got out there. They had just finished an afternoon of sailing with a local meet-up group. They were a nice addition to the party, and they brought a big bag of Doritos!

I met Nate and Daniel. They came out in a big, two-masted sailboat. We watched as they made several passes trying to get closer to the dock as they fought against the tide. It was not an easy trick and they were having some trouble until the hero of the river showed up.

It was Chip in his work boat coming in hot! Chip gave them the tips they needed to navigate the river currents and they soon sailed right up to starboard with big Dean grabbing the line and bringing them in.

I was glad to see Chip, he was the only one at the party, besides Dean, that I had met before. I was flattered that he recognized me, since it had been ten years since we met. That was way back when Whit Overstreet and I spent the night in his sailboat during our kayak trip to the mouth of the Potomac, but that's another story.

Chip is the proprietor of the Luna Bar, and everyone knows Chip. He lived and worked at Bell Haven Marina for forty years and now does free lance boat repair. Chip is awesome, and so generous. He has that laid-back look of a beach bum, with a dark tan and dread locks. You might not guess it, but he is a super-smart sailor, a master boat pilot, and the master of this part of the river. Carley described him as the closest thing to a pirate that she'll ever meet. I see what she means.

Drinks in the moonlight

We were all getting pretty relaxed in the moonlight, and the time seemed to fly by. It must have been close to 10 when I was surprised to see another boat pull up. It was Anacostia Riverkeeper! It as so cool to finally meet Trey, the Anacostia Riverkeeper, and his wife Donna. There were others just arriving as well and Dean took the boat back to shore a couple time to grab the other guests, including his next door neighbors.

It was getting late but the music was still blaring, people were still swimming, and the ladies were all singing along with the pop songs and the Latino rap. Soon it was time to get a little crazy and jump off the roof of the Luna Bar. It was a perfectly natural progression to the evening, and what a hoot! With the full moon as our light and the gin for our courage, most of us climbed up onto the bar and hoisted ourselves up to the small rafters above the deck. It's best not to hesitate too long up there before you jump, its a little dicey on the roof. And watch out for the stern of that sailboat!

The water was warm, but I was actually cold standing in the breeze after I climbed back onto the dock. I was cold and shivering, but I was able to take a second to appreciate the uniqueness of the moment. These people, this place, this time. It will never happen again the way it happened tonight. I decided that I needed to spend more time down there on the lower Potomac. It's so beautiful, and they really know how to have a good time down in those tidal waters.

The moon was high overhead by now and it was about midnight when I heard the call that a boat was heading to shore. I hated to see my enchanted evening come to an end, but I was concerned that if I didn't get on that boat I might be stuck out there until 3 in the morning.

I grabbed a big bag of empty bottles and I bid adieu to all my new friends. Thanks Dean, I had a blast!

P.S. It was so funny, just as our boat was pulling away toward shore, my old friend Whit came paddling up in a paddle board. He was hoping that the party was still going but instead he paddled himself back to the dock and ended up giving some folks a ride back to Washington Sailing Marina. I was glad I got to see him.