Saturday, October 23 to Friday, October 29
Annnnddd, we’re off! As my mother often said, “like a herd of turtles.”
Delayed by boat improvements and a fierce weather system battering the east coast, we’re already a week behind “schedule.” I use the term loosely because one of the lessons learned in the past 18 months is that nothing much seems to conform to a schedule anymore and all of us just have to be flexible. I know, you’ve all learned that lesson, too…..
When I last posted in late spring, we were already past Charleston and were closing in on Annapolis. We arrived on May 22 and spent a month in DC with our kids and grands. When our granddaughter saw Boppa for the first time, all she wanted to do was sit on his lap. Boy, those hugs felt terrific.
We had been in touch with the previous owner of our boat to learn where he had kept it in the Annapolis area. Jay had her at Bert Jabin Yacht Yard and Annapolis Boat Services had coordinated all repairs and improvements to our boat for its many years. Fortunately Jabin’s had a slip available and ABS had time to make most of the improvements we were hoping to accomplish. Imagine our sense of relief when boat mechanic Brian arrived to assess our needs and told us, “Oh, I remember this boat. I have done electrical and plumbing work on it, and installed some of the electronics.” We were elated! It was like meeting the folks who had built your house, who knew it inside and out, including all its quirks and idiosyncrasies. We handed over our wish list (and our checkbook—yikes) and decided to keep the boat in Annapolis until this fall. ABS did a fantastic job and we now have double the solar power, a water maker, more USB ports, and new electronics. Like any product with computer chips, the new Raymarine navigation system had the longest lead time but the wait was worth it. We’ve now gone from Etch-A-Sketch controls to a touch screen and lots of integrated technologies. Huzzah!
In order for all this work (and other repairs and maintenance) to be done, we needed to take everything off the boat—cushions, bedding, food, clothing, supplies, dishes, towels—you name it—so that Brian could access all the interior spaces where electrical and plumbing magic happens on a boat. We schlepped all our stuff to our kids’ homes. They graciously let us fill closets and basements (reciprocation for all the years we stored their stuff after college ???) and we moved in with Sarah until late June. Then back to Boston for 6 weeks, sans sailboat.
It felt great to be back in our land-based home. It had been over 10 months and we were astonished at how ginormous 1600 sq. ft. felt after living in 500. Can I just say again how wonderful it is to have an endless supply of water and electricity, a giant refrigerator (and freezer!) and, last but not least, that wonder of the modern age, a dishwasher!! Never to be taken for granted again.
First priority was seeing family and friends in person now that we were all vaccinated. I’ll never take those much-needed hugs for granted again, either. But much of our time in Boston was spent on our favorite (?) pastime—schlepping our stuff around. Why? Because retired friends of friends have rented our home (furnished) for the two semesters they attend Harvard’s Leadership Institute. We packed up our closets, emptied some shelves and cabinets, and carted it all to our now overflowing storage unit. They took occupancy on August 20 and we were once again “counting the cars on the NJ turnpike” on the way back to DC, knowing we’d be “couch-surfing” for the next 9 weeks. Hardly a rip-roaring script for the next movie sequel of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” but now you do know.
Just in case you think we may have gone soft, we didn’t hire out all of the boat projects! David took a 2-day course in diesel mechanics at Mack Boring in NJ, learning how to maintain and repair our specific Yanmar engine, just in case we ever run into trouble. In preparation for this second trip, he replaced pumps, belts and filters; lubed fittings, inspected hoses; changed impellers, oil and fuel—and purchased spare parts that we now know are difficult to source in the Bahamas.
Finally, once Onward’s bottom was painted, topsides polished,
and all our belongings moved back on board, we set sail last Saturday, bidding a fond farewell to our children and grands. In three days we were in Norfolk, VA where we sat for 3 more days, waiting out the storm raging along the eastern seaboard. Here’s what it looked like on Windy, our preferred weather app. Boston got it worse than us but it wasn’t pretty in Norfolk, either.
When the storm died down a bit on Thursday, we left at first light, entering the ICW about 10 a.m. Last year on our first trip southward, everything was New and Exciting and Different. Of course, the sheen has worn off a bit but now that we are no longer neophytes, we can relax more, enjoy the ride, and notice the things we missed the first time around.
Yup, she just keeps rollin’ on da river……
