day in the life. or just another day in paradise.

Life on the boat is a whole different animal than anything we've experienced thus far. Truthfully, we've been moving more slowly around here and we aren't even mad about it. I feel better than I have in awhile. It seems like the sunshine, the flexibility of our schedule, and the change of scenery are just what the doctor ordered. I'm calm, I'm more focused, I'm relaxed. I like myself on the boat. That's not to say that there aren't days that are busy or demanding (I fully expect this to be the sort of ebb and flow we will experience once we are underway) but I feel less tense when tackling those instances. 

Every day is a little different but this is mostly how it goes:

We get up when our internal clocks wake us, take the dog out, maybe have some coffee, I go for a run or to the YMCA to work out, Josh works while I'm gone--takes calls, does paperwork, sends emails, etc. I come back, I fix lunch, we eat in the cockpit, plan our afternoon (is today laundry day? Or do we need to get groceries?) then he goes back to it and I work on blog posts, read, clean, or jump in the pool here at the marina. As of this week my bike is here so I plan on doing some exploring and we got a kayak as my college graduation gift a billion years ago (thanks for storing it all this time, mom and pop!).

what to expect when you're expecting to be an overnight guest on a sailboat.

So you've been invited to stay over on your friend's sailboat. Congratulations! If you like water and adventure, you're going to have a memorable weekend.  We love entertaining and this weekend we hosted our first overnight guests. It got me to thinking about how hosting someone at our home is different than hosting someone either at the dock or on the anchor. There are at least a few differences so, I thought I'd post a guide for all future guests. 

First off, pack thoughtfully. We spend the majority of our time on the boat outside. Sunscreen, bug spray, hat and sunglasses if you wear them are absolute musts. We try to have at least an extra hat laying around as well as plenty of sunscreen and bug repellent but if you're particular or sensitive to particular ingredients, it's best to bring your own. 

We keep an extra set of towels and sheets but no extra pillows or blankets. Space is limited and we try not to carry more than we need. A good host will let you know if you need to bring any unusual extras so keep that in mind. 

Toiletries. Yes, you probably always bring them but if you're like me, sometimes you forget something and ask your host to borrow some of theirs. The problem with this is that since we live at the dock, we use the wonderful bath house our slip fees afford us.  Pack every item you'll need together so you're not stuck in a shower stall in the bath house cursing your misfortune of leaving your shampoo sitting on your berth. This is not so much an issue while anchored but keep in mind that if you're in a foreign port, your favorite toothpaste may not be easily acquired and you'll want to bring enough so that you won't have to impose on your live-aboard friends' limited supplies either. 

Nonskid, comfy shoes and maybe some flip flops. Comfort and utility are the name of the game here.  

If you have long hair, I will always suggest some means of keeping your hair tied back. Pony tail, at the very least. A windy day even just at the docks will leave your free-flowing mane in the worst tangle. 

And now a word about motion sickness. Even if we are docked, we are moving. Yep. When the wind blows, we roll slightly. Mostly the marina is protected from any real rough motion, but if you visit an anchored boat in a harbor, the weather is less predictable. I've read of cruising boats that are tossed relentlessly about, rocking and rolling on the hook. So. You should prepare yourself if you a person who is sensitive to that sort of thing. I sometimes feel queasy and have found that Ginger Chews (by Ginger People) are quite helpful, as is a full tummy. Sea bands or Dramamine are also options if your discomfort is the more severe bent. 

Now that I've covered what to bring, let's just have a quick "how to" have an easy, enjoyable visit aboard. 

If you're at a boat that is docked, keep your shoes and bath house key close to your berth. If you're like me and frequent the bathroom in the wee small hours of the morning, you'll want these items close enough you can stumble into them and to the bathroom without incident. 

There is very little, if any, privacy on a sailboat. On our boat, quarters are tight and your berth is next to ours. And the floor creaks/squeaks. Not much to be done about it but just something to keep in mind. We try to be mindful of that but unfortunately the guest quarters are not doored from the main cabin. 

Storage is always a top concern. If your visit will be an extended one, a duffle or some sort of collapsible bag is best. It's stowed in a small space and won't interfere with foot traffic on board. Hopefully your host can clear you a bit of space to stow your clothes and belongings. 

Power and water conservation are not a major concern at a marina, as most docks include these utilities in the slip fee but an anchored or buoyed boat is a different story. The boat has a finite amount of water to be drawn from the on-board tankage and the electricity is a self-contained system relying on a battery bank on board. It's an easy courtesy to the hosts to not let the water run an endless stream while you're brushing your teeth. 

 Questions? Still confounded? Drop me an email or leave a comment!

top of the world.

No big deal. Just hanging around at the top of our mast while Josh looks on from below.

When we were up last week we decided we should try out the whole "hoisting-me-up-the-mast" thing for when I may need to go up and replace a bulb on the spreader lights, fasten a new line or antenna, etc. so no big deal. It was a bit windy but it was nothing major. I don't really have any issues with heights and I trust Josh like I trust no one else. Ever. In. My. Life. We worked out what I was supposed to do when it was time to come down before I was even off the ground. Ok. Fine. Cool. He starts hoisting me and I'm cool. I am concentrating on not getting tangled in any lines or accidentally loosening anything on my way up. I get to the top after a few minutes and all is well. I snap a few photos, look around and then it's time to come down. And then I can't loosen the ascender. I'm supposed to push a little latch down and back to let the rope off, only it won't come. I'm not panicked. I'm annoyed. I try one hand then the other, then both. I push this way and that and no dice. Again, I'm totally cool with being up there. Not worried just pissed by this time. Soon, the harness I was wearing was pushing on some nerves in my thighs which made my legs fall asleep. No bueno.  Luckily, there was an easy work around and Josh was able to lower me gently to safely on the deck just in time to still be able to stand upright when I was unfastened from the spinnaker halyard. All in all, an exhilarating experience. 

As I get a bit older my threshold for risky behavior gets lower, I will admit. I have no intention of letting those feelings of fear or apprehension keep me from living fully, though. Sometimes I force myself to be a little wild as long as the proper precautions have been taken. I mean, I'm not going to jump off a cliff if I have no idea what's below me, you know? 

Another very brief adventure I'll tell you about has no photographic proof unfortunately because it was extremely brief. 

I jumped in Lake Michigan. Wha?? Sounds crazy, right? What about 3 miles out in over 100 foot deep water? Crazier? Not my favorite decision, for sure. We took Interlude out on Sunday for a sail and it was hot. Steamy and sunny. I told Josh, half-jokingly, that I wanted to swim off the boat. He said we'd heave to (slow the boat to an almost imperceptible speed) once we hit 100 feet depth and I could swim. I thought he was kidding but once we hit the depth he called me out. I hemmed and hawed but eventually decided I should "man up" since I had brought it up. We hove to and the boat slowed to a crawl. He tied one of the fenders to a line and let it drag on our port side. We opened the life lines along the port side, he told me to get in, and swim toward the line/fender and follow it back along the side of the boat to the swim ladder. I had on the most awkward life jacket and my scared face. The one full of regret and indecision about whether or not I should slowly take the ladder in or just jump feet first into the inky blue water below. I almost had to have him push me, my nerve waning as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, I leapt. Into the inky blue, freezing cold depths, quickly being buoyed back to the surface by my life vest. I couldn't catch my breath, the waves were 1-2 feet and I felt myself immediately drifting toward the stern. Not the calmest of feelings overtook me and suddenly all I wanted to be was anywhere but bobbing, desperately trying to catch hold of the fender line in the icy water. As soon as I fought through the waves and hooked on to the swim ladder and I climbed up I began to breathe easily. No, not my favorite decision. Risky, sure. I was safe and it was an adventure so I'll just just count that one as one I might not try again. We'll see.

sunday share: bialetti.

Oh hey, do you like coffee? How about espresso? We LOVE coffee. One of the accoutrement for the boat that was an absolute must for us was a coffee maker. Josh did the leg work on this one so I claim none of the kudos here but I will tell you he did his homework. The Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-cup Stovetop Espresso Percolator is a great little gadget. We received it as a Christmas gift and promptly put it to work. This baby has just a few components and is kinda idiot-proof. You fill the bottom portion (up to the line) with water, place the basket over it, fill with your choice of ground coffee or espresso, screw the top half on and go to town. Over medium/high heat on the stove it takes 5-10 minutes for the brewed coffee to percolate into the top portion and then you're ready to enjoy your morning brew. Let it cool, or run under cool water to cool, dump the used grounds, rinse and repeat as needed. Josh and I each drink a 6-cup portion (we run it through that process twice total) a day, so we may or may not each drink 6 espressos? Regardless, it produces a rich coffee and the apparatus itself is easy use, clean up and storing. 

settled in.

Blogging from the boat! First time for everything and this one of those things I'm glad came sooner rather than later. The wi-fi is sketchy at best so I suspect there will some delayed posts. Oh well. If that's my biggest complaint, life ain't too shabby. Plus, I'm sitting in the open cockpit, breeze on my shoulders, fresh cup of joe in hand and my faithful pup next to me. No, not too shabby at all. 

We came up weekend before last around lunch time, unloaded our many bags and dug in. We brought the pup with us who seemed to remember the drill from the brief time up here last fall. She jumped aboard like a champ. She and water are not buddies so the proximity of water, especially deep water, always makes me a little worried for her anxiety level. We even let her roam the docks off her leash for awhile later. 

Josh decided to do a bit of organizing below deck so I cleaned out the dock box so we could stow some folding chairs, our power cords and hoses there when we are out for day sails. Guess what laid in wait?? Spiders. And grime. Oh, and also? More spiders. Not tiny ones. Big ones with fat bodies the size of your pinky toe. I thought I might have nightmares of them crawling on me and I was right. I woke up in a cold sweat on Monday thinking one had climbed into my ear. Yech. 

We grabbed groceries at Aldi, popped in the local Salvation Army (which is a hidden gem near the marina--yes! going back on a lazy afternoon once i bring my bike up), and picked up some beer and made dinner on the grill.  Grilled baked potatoes, salad, and grilled pork chops. After a long afternoon tidying, fending off spiders, and cleaning, it was heavenly. 

The rest of the weekend was a lazy, windy, wonderful time.

a gift from a friend.

One of Josh's friends kindly sent us this stack of sailing books yesterday! Hopefully they'll be full of wonderful tips or insights we can soak up. Thanks, Rod!

I'm back to reading all our guides and how-tos, seriously taking the ideas of the authors into consideration now that we are pretty much less than a year from departure. Especially about provisioning. Starting July 1st I'm going to begin keeping close tabs on what we use for food and dry goods over the next six months. The idea is that I need to understand our consumption so I can better keep the boat stocked (we are talking toothpaste, t.p., ziplock baggies, shampoo, wax paper, bread, eggs, sugar, flour, etc.). This idea came from "Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew", which I mentioned in a post before. Eventually, I'll catalog, enter data in excel, and graph (Josh has generously offered to help me do this) the results. Woo-hoo!

at last.

Interlude is FINALLY back in the water, ladies and gents. Yes! Finally. It all happened in just a few short days. After much heel dragging on the part of the marina/shop where Interlude was being "serviced" (I very loosely will acknowledge that she did indeed have some work done though not near enough) they pulled it together, finished up 90% of outstanding issues. Thee is at least one that will be completed in the coming winter (supposedly) and I would guess the other one as well (chain plates STILL need replaced and there was some fiberglass work that needs addressing as well as the malfunctioning autopilot remote). 

But enough of the bummer part of the whole process! The fun now begins!  

We went up to Waukegan, where she's been all winter, on Saturday with Josh's parents who graciously agreed to help us get her put back to sailing condition and deliver her to her home port in Racine. We put up the sails, tidied the cabin, scrubbed down the cockpit cushions, filled tanks, checked electrical systems, hosed her down, etc. 

Bright and early, err...late Sunday morning, we came back, climbed aboard, stowed belongings and snacks below and motored out into the lake. Seriously you guys, the weather was unbelievably perfect. It was the type of day sailors daydream about: 8-10 knots per hour wind, moderate waves, sunny and clear. I had thought we might be sweaty beasts but once we got out on the lake it was clear the humidity was not going to be an issue. Heavenly. Magical. We motored out around noon and arrived in Racine just about 6pm. We only had to jibe once which was nice. There is a reef, of sorts, just outside the harbor in Racine so we turned on the motor to maneuver her in about 3.5 miles out since the wind wasn't ideal for bringing her in under sail. Once we switched on the motor there was a little hiccup where the propeller wasn't engaged and moving us forward so Josh was a little frazzled trying to drop the main but we got it all sorted out and then we were right as rain. 

And now Interlude is tucked nicely in her slip, waiting for us to come do a few projects and generally enjoy the remainder of the sailing season. We'll head up Saturday morning and stay a few days and hopefully next weekend or the following we'll be there for most of the summer!