crafty mcgee and how I fill my time.

We've been up at the marina for a bit over two weeks and while I haven't had any freelance jobs to work on, somehow I still feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. I mean, I guess I could get up at 6 am but that kind of defeats the laid back, easy-does-it thing we've got going here. 

What fills my days, you ask? Craftiness and reading!

I'm reading the third book in the Game of Thrones series. Gah! Addictive! I'm also taking my sailing 101 requirements very seriously by brushing up with Basics of Keelboating and, of course being quizzed on a regular basis by Josh, AND I'm still reading The Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew. That one is best digested in small chunks. 

The other part of my time is spent being crafty. I have been crocheting and teaching myself new stitches/patterns and have completed one blanket with two more in various states of completion (the other two have a ways to go, one is pictured above). I'm also gearing up to do a little art project on the very end of them bow spirit. There is a beam that has a flat 4 inch face and I'm going to do a drawing on the end of it with a good luck symbol. I'm doing some research and am planning on starting it this afternoon. Yay! 

There might also be a bit of gym time, pool time, and cooking that have also been taking up parts of each day too :-)

neighbors.

So THIS boat is our neighbor at the end of our t-docks. Um, hello. 70 feet of pure gorgeous speed. The owner, Rick is a great guy and sailing enthusiast who loves racing and from our understanding, has been at it for years. One of these days we've got to get out there on her. The boat manager, Jack (a junior at a local college), is always ready with a story of adventure, or quick with some product recommendation (we are currently battling spiders). Just a really cool boat and more great people we see in our day to day lives here at the dock.

on tossing your cookies

Monday was a first. We took Interlude out for a sail knowing it might be windy and did our best to account for that by reefing in the main so we wouldn't be over powered (read: tipped way, way over with the sails practically straining from the force of the wind). What we didn't account for was the 4-6 foot waves. At first it was fine. We motored out, me as the lookout on the bow, the bowspirit bobbing up and then landing with a white capped splash back down. Totally cool. I held on to the railing, flexed my knees to absorb the impact and was a-okay. Then we put the sails up and I was at the helm, which I find greatly improves any feelings of nausea as I am constantly scanning the horizon and generally occupied making sure we are on the right course, taking full advantage of the wind for optimum speed, etc. And I was fine until I wasn't. It crept up on me real slow like. And I chewed some ginger candy and maybe I was feeling okay? It was hard to tell. But then those 4-6 foot waves I mentioned, well they were coming at us crosswise, rolling us from port to starboard instead of bow to stern. So I changed our course and we headed back bow into them. Up and down, rolling from the top to the valley like on the roller coasters that make your stomach feel like its dropping out of the bottom of you abdomen. Over and over, so high I'd lose sight of the horizon and then so low all I could see was the azure water surrounding us and the sound of the hull cutting through them sounds more like slapping than the usual melodious fizzy bubbling. I let Josh steer and laid flat on my back with my eyes closed in the cockpit, breathing through the discomfort. It seemed like it was working one second and then the next I've got my head over the downwind rail tossing my cookies. Did I mention this is the very first time this has ever happened to me (unless my mom can recount some horrible car trip I've blocked from my mind?). I did feel better but as for my future as a sailor, I'd say I've got some serious sleuthing to do on how to nip this in the bud.