Two Weeks as Liveaboards

Today we celebrate being on board for two weeks.  The first couple of days had me thinking twice about this lifestyle.  Most of the trepidation came from being a bit overwhelmed, sick, and blazing hot.  Not a good mixture on any day.  So I was sick, then I was better, I had to get a filling redone, we were a boat in shambles, and then we were all stowed and looking good.  And I also had a short, nice visit with my Dad on one of the days back in the 'burg.

We left the dock for the first time since we moved on just this past Saturday for what turned out to be one of the best sails I've ever been on.  The temperatures weren't too hot, the wind was perfect, and this boat was handling so very well.  We made our way over to St. Clement's Island, a favorite of ours for years, for a little picnic and quick respite before continuing on to Breton Bay and a visit to Leonardtown, MD.  St. Clement's has changed a lot over the years, from a wild bit of island to a pleasant park-like atmosphere with now-grown tree plantings and open spaces, picnic benches and grills, a newly built lighthouse, a bell tower, and flower gardens.  As we were picnicking, we watched a sailor in a small boat bob and weave up along the coast, many times making us catch our breath thinking he was going to flip over.  We felt so good when he made the curve of land into smoother sailing.  There are signs all over the island telling of its history; Gary loves reading each and every word.  I think a geocache will be generated soon with that information.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clement's_Island_State_Park

From there, we had another bit of gorgeous sailing to Breton Bay where we anchored amongst five other boats.  Leonardtown always sticks in my mind as this little backwater with a dock that was just a terrible mess of pilings that had been ruined by age and storms.  It was also the place we were docked when we learned that Princess Diana had been in a car wreck; the newspapers in town the next morning stated that she was expected to survive, so we drew a collective sigh and hoped for a speedy recovery.  We all know how that story turned out.

But over the years, the town, while still rolling up their sidewalks early most days, has been revitalized a bit, and the dock, now called the Leonardtown Wharf, has been beautifully redone and has turned into a meeting spot for Sunday afternoon concerts by local bands.  There's also a concession stand and a kayak/canoe rental business that has sprung up run by a surfer dude (sans shirt and all) that keeps people in calories and boats.  I'm sure those Sunday ladies enjoy that scenery!

The downtown has not changed a lot, some businesses have changed hands, and we found an awesome bookstore, Fenwick Used Books and Music, after a big carb-full breakfast at a little cafe.  Fenwick's offered a cool respite from the heat and was a wonderful half-hour of scanning the spines of hundred of books waiting for something to grab our attention.  I walked away with Life After Mississippi by James Autry and The Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road (which immediately made me think of some special women in my life!).

We went back to the boat to do some work, well, to let Gary do some work, and Elliott and I rowed the dinghy to shore to check out a sailing school and for me to get some photos. We wandered around a bit before we noticed the "No Trespassing" signs, so we jumped back in the dinghy and started rowing away just as the caretaker of the property came walking down the docks looking for us; yikes.  We just kept rowing; he never said a word, just looked around to check out that we hadn't stolen a boat or two.

After Gary finished his project, we all hopped into the dinghy again and hoped we'd make it back to shore with our low amount of gas.  Ooops.  The Sunday afternoon bluegrass gospel concert was enjoyable and we even got some witnessing done; if you don't know what witnessing is, it is when someone tells their story of a miracle, in this case a healing, that in which the teller gives full credit to God.  Even though I'm not a believer, it was a heartwarming story and I'm so glad for the medical results for this musician.  We took the dinghy back, STILL not running out of gas.  Hmmm, maybe divine intervention for us, too.

We stayed another night in the Bay and set sail the next day to come home.  It took a long time to get out of the Bay because the wind was light and we only used the main and a staysail, but the scenery was gorgeous.  Lovely rolling hills, farms, great houses, sleek boats (both power and sail), and a bit of wildlife, too.

Gary was inspired to use the gennaker on the way out because of the light wind; now THAT was interesting.  He called it "The Whomper" (referenced from the movie "Wind.")   We kicked butt, but it was a bit fickle with the wind going different ways.  That was a lot of sail to contend with, but Gary's got a knack for it, so in no time, we w
ere doing 7.5 knots and the boat was surfing.  She really is quite amazing.  Most heeling we've ever done, but the boat handled it well.  We also had a communication with a tugboat who wanted to know our intentions so that he could come into the bay with large flats of containers for a construction site.  That was kind of cool.

So, we're back at the Pirate's Den at Cobb Island, hanging out, sweating a LOT, working on projects, and sweating some more.  Occasionally, we take a break from these mundane tasks to watch a World Cup game.  We really enjoy hanging out at the bar at the restaurant up the hill.  I'm addicted to their house salads and sweet tea (of course) and just the rotating group of folks who come there to drink and cheer on their teams.

Today, after Gary's projects, Elliott's fishing, eeling, and crabbing and hanging out with other sailors, and after my work with both pump toilets on board (yes, my life is that glamorous) in which I added vinegar to the bowls, let them sit a while, then flushed them through with the vinegar and a big rinse of clear water to help with scaling and odor, we went to watch USA vs. Belgium.  God, I hate sports.  But then I love them,  And then I hate them again.  All that stress; is it worth it?  Apparently so, because we keep going back.

So that's what we've been doing.  Sweating mostly, but also enjoying the crazy with the good.  I'm learning a little bit more each day and working on my Boat Virginia Course (I passed the first of six tests with flying colors).  And I am forever grateful for technology, because even though I'm not seeing them personally, I can see photos and videos of my grandchildren and they don't seem so far away.