After the stress of work, I was looking forward to four days of solace on Velella. This time I decided to bring the rest of the crew to join in the fun. As we made that long walk to the marina, my mind raced with ways to make it the most pleasant experience possible. Imagine my chagrin when on the last leg of the journey gunfire rang out in the distance. Two of the three crew members really dislike this sound so with every pop pop in the distance, they ran and hid behind me while walking. Eventually we made it to the dock and they did not seemed phased by the noises, smells, or floating dock beneath them. We walked right up to the boat and I gave them the “wait” command while I brought the boat closer. With the release, Alf jumped first and the other two were right on his heels – like they had all done this a million times before! They perched in the cockpit taking in all the sights and sounds with enthusiasm. I opened the companionway and Alf ran in without prompting. Naia was close on his heels but Mano took a little convincing. Not much, though. Tell me they don’t look ready for adventure!
The boat is still in disarray but they were very excited and immediately took over the V-berth and made it home. The winds kicked up and even while taking 20-30 mph winds across the beam, with all the noises, shuddering and clamoring outside, the canine crew remained calm and happy. I was so pleased this was not going to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment for them! They don’t normally sleep in the bed with me, the only exception was while I was on a cot after hip surgeries, so they were thrilled to all snuggle in a legitimate “dog pile”. This is how my sweet little man spent most of his time:
And the rest of the time this was the sleeping configuration.
That berth is quite roomy!! That didn’t stop me from being awakened by small paws in my back, and once with a paw in the nose. We successfully made boiling water for tea and coffee with the new hotplate in under 2 minutes and I cooked a big pot of turnips quickly as well. What can I say; it was a really strong craving! We met the marina staff and one of the Rangers came to visit us on the boat each day. We met an interesting group of transients – one couple which worked in Alaska during the summer and traveled to Florida for work in the winter, and three cruising catamarans – which didn’t lessen my drive to get one of those next! We got to take some amazing walks with not a lot of people around and watched some gorgeous sunsets over the river. The marina truly is a beautiful spot!
The relentless winds altered my work plans – instead of hoisting lines I opted for sanding the interior wood in preparation for polyurethane. About 10 minutes into this endeavor I was really wishing for an electric sander but was able to get a good arm workout in exchange for my efforts. Unfortunately, it is going to take a lot more sanding to get the previous tint off and even out the water marks. I will have to leave that task for another windy or rainy day.
Next week I am helping a friend move so the furballs have to be boarded – something they have never experienced! I took them Friday to get all the vaccines boarding dogs get that “normal” ones don’t need and to prove they had no creepy crawlies in their feces. I love the island vet but really have to question their decision to place a cage of cats needing adoption immediately inside the entry door. I cannot describe the level of excitement and chaos that ensued when we entered the door. Eventually everyone calmed down (mostly) and our eardrums were able to rest. With clean bills of health we headed back to the marina.
This time, I decided to order pizza delivery. The app on my phone wouldn’t let me enter the marina address so I called the store. I explained the dilemma and she says, “You are not at 401B Ocean drive”? I sheepishly said “No” and she replied that she recognized my name on caller ID and knew me from the 108B Greenville Ave address, too. I am not sure what it says about me that the pizza place can name my exact apartment addresses for the past 2 years I have lived here. I am choosing to believe it is because I am really nice and a good tipper, not that I keep them in business! My embarrassment quickly waned with the deliciousness that was delivered.
Finally on Saturday the winds finally calmed down and I was able to restring the lines with my brand new rope! Not only does she look a little less “ghetto” I am confident which lines control what AND have the lines running aft to the cockpit! The hardware was there, but for whatever reason they had been terminated at the mast by the previous owner. I also worked on my bilge pump setup, unsuccessfully. I wasn’t completely confident in my electrical abilities so a friend’s husband, an electrician by profession, came to lend a hand. It wasn’t operator error, and he couldn’t quite explain it either but we never did get it working. I may have to switch to plan B but he is going to come back and look at the rest of the wiring when they get back from vacation to see my options. In the meantime, I reluctantly hooked up the noisy shop vac to remove the rainwater from earlier in the week – and was pleasantly surprised when this act did not cause a mutiny.
I tried to turn my attention to the kill switch on the engine but wasn’t able to get to it this time. I was able to remove the old brittle and flat weather stripping on the hatch and install new so she is nice and cozy! I did also learn this weekend that she has amazing acoustics but I am not sure how far sound carried so hopefully the catamarans didn’t get an unintentional serenade.
I did learn a very important lesson this weekend. As a gymnast, I balance myself a little differently than most – something I hadn’t really noticed until one frosty morning. Instead of stepping off the boat or pushing off, I do a bit of a hop like I do during beam routines. I never realized I did that until my foot landed on the frosty dock one early morning - and kept right on moving. In an instant all I could think of was PLEASE don’t let me slide right off to the other side and into the water! Luckily I was able to keep it on the dock and gingerly walk the rest of the way up to the bathhouse! You can bet I will be double checking before I step from now on!!
The relentless winds altered my work plans – instead of hoisting lines I opted for sanding the interior wood in preparation for polyurethane. About 10 minutes into this endeavor I was really wishing for an electric sander but was able to get a good arm workout in exchange for my efforts. Unfortunately, it is going to take a lot more sanding to get the previous tint off and even out the water marks. I will have to leave that task for another windy or rainy day.
Next week I am helping a friend move so the furballs have to be boarded – something they have never experienced! I took them Friday to get all the vaccines boarding dogs get that “normal” ones don’t need and to prove they had no creepy crawlies in their feces. I love the island vet but really have to question their decision to place a cage of cats needing adoption immediately inside the entry door. I cannot describe the level of excitement and chaos that ensued when we entered the door. Eventually everyone calmed down (mostly) and our eardrums were able to rest. With clean bills of health we headed back to the marina.
This time, I decided to order pizza delivery. The app on my phone wouldn’t let me enter the marina address so I called the store. I explained the dilemma and she says, “You are not at 401B Ocean drive”? I sheepishly said “No” and she replied that she recognized my name on caller ID and knew me from the 108B Greenville Ave address, too. I am not sure what it says about me that the pizza place can name my exact apartment addresses for the past 2 years I have lived here. I am choosing to believe it is because I am really nice and a good tipper, not that I keep them in business! My embarrassment quickly waned with the deliciousness that was delivered.
Finally on Saturday the winds finally calmed down and I was able to restring the lines with my brand new rope! Not only does she look a little less “ghetto” I am confident which lines control what AND have the lines running aft to the cockpit! The hardware was there, but for whatever reason they had been terminated at the mast by the previous owner. I also worked on my bilge pump setup, unsuccessfully. I wasn’t completely confident in my electrical abilities so a friend’s husband, an electrician by profession, came to lend a hand. It wasn’t operator error, and he couldn’t quite explain it either but we never did get it working. I may have to switch to plan B but he is going to come back and look at the rest of the wiring when they get back from vacation to see my options. In the meantime, I reluctantly hooked up the noisy shop vac to remove the rainwater from earlier in the week – and was pleasantly surprised when this act did not cause a mutiny.
I tried to turn my attention to the kill switch on the engine but wasn’t able to get to it this time. I was able to remove the old brittle and flat weather stripping on the hatch and install new so she is nice and cozy! I did also learn this weekend that she has amazing acoustics but I am not sure how far sound carried so hopefully the catamarans didn’t get an unintentional serenade.
I did learn a very important lesson this weekend. As a gymnast, I balance myself a little differently than most – something I hadn’t really noticed until one frosty morning. Instead of stepping off the boat or pushing off, I do a bit of a hop like I do during beam routines. I never realized I did that until my foot landed on the frosty dock one early morning - and kept right on moving. In an instant all I could think of was PLEASE don’t let me slide right off to the other side and into the water! Luckily I was able to keep it on the dock and gingerly walk the rest of the way up to the bathhouse! You can bet I will be double checking before I step from now on!!