Month: September 2012

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Much longer and we’ll grow roots

Today is day seven on the hard and marks the longest amount of time we have spent on land since Oct 2010. We’re pushing hard to get it all done and make a hasty retreat to water before the dagger boards put down roots. In many ways being on the hard is not much different than tied to a dock; the boat even sways just the tiniest bit but enough so that I notice it. We have a view of the marina and other boats; the front view changes daily as boats are hauled and some even go back in.

Our expansive view of the yard and buildings

Our refrigeration is a small (“the cube”) dorm fridge and our freezer is “running” on block ice. We buy either a bag of cubes or a block bag nearly every day. Below the freezer is an open area where the draining spigot is located. Several times a day I open it up and drain the accumulated water into a bowl, tossing it down the sink drain. Now, you might ask where does that go?  This time around it drains right on to the pavement thru a hose we attached to the exterior thru hull opening. Luckily the slope is away from us. Last year we placed a flexible bucket under the sink drain and dumped it out along the edge of the grass.

Galley sink drain land adaptation

Our two holding tanks cannot be emptied until Ortolan is back in the water, therefore we use them judiciously. The marina bathrooms/showers are very nice and only a short walk; good for a leg stretch. The other afternoon I walked in and found several women gathered around another who had, laying serenely by her feet, what I described as “a rug come alive.” Bridget is a nine-month old tan-colored Bouvier des Flandres and was so calm and watchful. We all oo’d and ah’d while Bridget’s owner described the breed; within a few minutes we all wanted one. Click this link to Wikipedia to read more about these hard-working, loyal and intelligent animals.

With a minimal amount of correct temperature refrigeration the food supply has been whittled down to bare bones. Russ biked a couple of times to the local Shaws and that keeps us going for a few days each time. Dinners are the most difficult; lunch and breakfast were easier to provision for.  I don’t think Russ is going to want to look at another ham and Swiss sandwich for quite some time. The nearby Town Pizza will deliver; looks like we will be calling them soon. Laundry; what’s that?  No washer and dryers here and the marina doesn’t have an official loaner car and probably doesn’t want their errand vehicle away for hours. For those who are chanting “do it by hand”, well that’s possible on a very small scale only. Don’t get me started on the lack of water and drying space; the cockpit has been taken over by every tool and boat maintenance/supply item we own as well as cans of paint, a box fan, electrical cords and shoes. Miraculously, we can find what we need in all the controlled mess.

Oh yes, the work. Pretty much only me doing a few odd jobs, mostly just to catch some beautiful September sunshine. 🙂

Lori hard at work cleaning the metal fittings

 

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Here we go again

Make hay while the sun shines- you all know that saying and let me say that it applies to all aspects of one’s life and not simply a farmer’s life! The boating version replaces the word “hay” with the word “way”. Weeks of pleasant weather would likely come to a rainy, thunderous halt… right about the time we’d be headed from CT to RI. If the forecast was to be believed, we’d have 2 days max to make the 75nm trip. Last year the weather allowed us enough time for two overnight stops, arriving the afternoon before our scheduled date.

This year, Monday was an ideal traveling day- for a motor yacht. Perfect wind right on our nose as we headed east through the Race, passing just south of Fishers Island then on to Pt Judith’s Harbor of Refuge. Looking toward the coast just past Fishers you can see three states in one view; CT, RI and NY. Maybe I’m cheating a bit, but Fishers Island is part of NY. Crazy that one. 50 miles down, 25 to go.

The bike makes a great armrest

Tuesday morning loomed gloomy, but thankfully no fog. Russ took a look at the weather radar and put an immediate hold on breakfast. If we left RIGHT NOW we might get to the marina before the huge T-storm cell reached us. It was already moving NE, having visited our initially planned stop at Fishers Island. I refused to look at the screen, adamantly trusting that my usual “just think positive thoughts” would see us arrive dry. The waves weren’t bad but as we headed up West Passage, keeping Jamestown on our right, they calmed way down since the land offered protection from the easterly wind. Breakfast re-commenced and we waved to now familiar Dutch Island. The Narragansett waters that must have been bustling over the long holiday weekend were vacant save for a few fishing skiffs. As we pulled up to the dock, sprinkles began and within 15 mins – pouring. We congratulated ourselves on making the smart decision to get as far as possible on Monday. Later in the afternoon we moved the dinghy and bike off the boat, the kayak to the bow and collected the vacuum pump purchased on eBay and delivered to the marina.

Ready to climb aboard

This one wins “most unusual”. Not sure how else to classify her.