Our sailing getaway wasn’t quite what I'd imagined, the lousy weather could have been a killjoy but we didn't let Mother Nature derail our fun. It's always nice to have sunny weather on your only day off but it's a crap shoot and is what it is.
Leaving the harbour around 7:00 pm Saturday, there was less wind than a mouse fart and dull. Even though the water looked like glass, we put the sail up and hoped things would change. We could have motored but we weren’t in any rush and limped our way with the occasional puff. This wasn’t an evening to be somewhere fast, it was about togetherness and being in the moment. We reached Covey’s Island before dark and rafted up to a friend’s boat for the night. They came aboard after our dinner of scalloped potatoes and ham that I heated in our propane oven, another new experience for me, followed by a round of butter tarts. We played Skip Bo with our friends, a card game that lasted past midnight. It was fun sitting in our beautiful Sea Cottage, having a cold beer and playing a game as the boat rocked gently from the waves.
The sleeping quarters were very comfortable. I made up two beds. They are large enough for two people but throw in four pups our sleep is becoming compromised from all their little bodies shifting throughout the night while whoever slept on the outside fought falling out of the bed. Henri and Jake bunked with me and Fiz and Honey with daddy. It’s usually cooler on the water even when it’s humid so my flannel jammies were perfect and the polar fleece blanket over the top sheet was cosy. The dogs slept all night long, knocked out by the fresh sea air. Like I said before, it’s the best cure for insomnia because I didn’t know a thing until morning. There were campers on the shore and I heard them hoot and holler as I drifted off to sleep, but overall it was a very quiet night’s rest.
I’d say it was a pretty relaxed belated anniversary but by mid-morning Sunday I got antsy and started thinking about getting out the polish. It’s a big boat with a lot of cleaning and I have to work in increments to allow a bit of rest in between. So I grabbed my magical products to scour and polish the gel coat inside the cockpit. Years of scuffs and yellowing are instantly gone with a bit of elbow grease behind the gritty cream. It’s a three step system, first the clean, then the polish and on top of that wax for a mirror finish. I’m at the cleaning stage of a job that will take the entire summer, hopefully my arms don’t fall off before all the polishing and waxing. It’s rough going and at times I wanted to give up as my fingers protested but I’d set a goal for one side of the cockpit seats and stuck to it even when the rain was beating on my head.
There is nothing attractive about sailing. No wonder sailors choose to pick up broads on shore, if the wenches onboard looked anything like me, it would have been the best form of birth control ever! The air was drenched in moisture making me look like a drowned rat and it washed the makeup off my face revealing the blotching beneath. I couldn’t wash my hair because the humidity in the air wouldn’t allow it to dry it. I don’t have the luxury of a hair dryer onboard because they need 120 volts of power and the boat only has 12 volts off the batteries. We’d have to be on shore power, plugged in at a wharf to run appliances. We are able to charge the cell phone and tablet but that’s the extent of electrical products.
No one seemed to care that I looked like a bird after an oil spill. I avoided the mirror as not to frighten myself or confirm what I knew would be staring back. The harbour was quiet with all the fair weather sailors at home for the day, good for me I thought, no witnesses! We live in a small town, we know everyone and they know us, with every boat going by there is a wave and a bit of conversation. We’re like fish in a bowl for all to see. Before rowing to shore, I pulled a ball cap over my dome just in case someone caught a glimpse of me. Of course sailing in the dry, warm air is a delight. The sun kissed skin, the wild, windswept hair, a cross between Red Skeleton and Phyllis Diller but as long as it’s dry, and flying with crazy abandon I can handle it....stuck to my cranium like it’s been lubed down, not so much.
The pups are taking to the boat readily. For them, anytime they are with us is gravy. Unfortunately they wouldn’t use the pee pad so we rowed them out to Covey’s beach for bathroom breaks. They loved exploring along the shore of the island, happy to have the freedom to do a leg stretch and run. They waded in the seasonably warm water and it took hours for them to dry, so I knew my hair was never going to look anything but oily and flat. Oh well, it’s not like anyone cared. I don’t have to tie a pork chop around my neck to get a pup to kiss me and hubby seems to see what’s inside before any horror that might be happening on the surface. Shiver me timbers, thank goodness love is blind!
We motored home Sunday afternoon and sat at the mooring doing a bit more cleaning and hooking while hubby installed a new battery. The fog was rolling in and although there was a lot of wind, it was also raining. There will be plenty of time to sail in choice conditions so we don’t have to cram every minute on the water with the Dacron hoisted. Not all days will be picture perfect but what is perfect anyway? This getaway was special, time together doing what we love. What could be better?
Leaving the harbour around 7:00 pm Saturday, there was less wind than a mouse fart and dull. Even though the water looked like glass, we put the sail up and hoped things would change. We could have motored but we weren’t in any rush and limped our way with the occasional puff. This wasn’t an evening to be somewhere fast, it was about togetherness and being in the moment. We reached Covey’s Island before dark and rafted up to a friend’s boat for the night. They came aboard after our dinner of scalloped potatoes and ham that I heated in our propane oven, another new experience for me, followed by a round of butter tarts. We played Skip Bo with our friends, a card game that lasted past midnight. It was fun sitting in our beautiful Sea Cottage, having a cold beer and playing a game as the boat rocked gently from the waves.
The sleeping quarters were very comfortable. I made up two beds. They are large enough for two people but throw in four pups our sleep is becoming compromised from all their little bodies shifting throughout the night while whoever slept on the outside fought falling out of the bed. Henri and Jake bunked with me and Fiz and Honey with daddy. It’s usually cooler on the water even when it’s humid so my flannel jammies were perfect and the polar fleece blanket over the top sheet was cosy. The dogs slept all night long, knocked out by the fresh sea air. Like I said before, it’s the best cure for insomnia because I didn’t know a thing until morning. There were campers on the shore and I heard them hoot and holler as I drifted off to sleep, but overall it was a very quiet night’s rest.
I’d say it was a pretty relaxed belated anniversary but by mid-morning Sunday I got antsy and started thinking about getting out the polish. It’s a big boat with a lot of cleaning and I have to work in increments to allow a bit of rest in between. So I grabbed my magical products to scour and polish the gel coat inside the cockpit. Years of scuffs and yellowing are instantly gone with a bit of elbow grease behind the gritty cream. It’s a three step system, first the clean, then the polish and on top of that wax for a mirror finish. I’m at the cleaning stage of a job that will take the entire summer, hopefully my arms don’t fall off before all the polishing and waxing. It’s rough going and at times I wanted to give up as my fingers protested but I’d set a goal for one side of the cockpit seats and stuck to it even when the rain was beating on my head.
There is nothing attractive about sailing. No wonder sailors choose to pick up broads on shore, if the wenches onboard looked anything like me, it would have been the best form of birth control ever! The air was drenched in moisture making me look like a drowned rat and it washed the makeup off my face revealing the blotching beneath. I couldn’t wash my hair because the humidity in the air wouldn’t allow it to dry it. I don’t have the luxury of a hair dryer onboard because they need 120 volts of power and the boat only has 12 volts off the batteries. We’d have to be on shore power, plugged in at a wharf to run appliances. We are able to charge the cell phone and tablet but that’s the extent of electrical products.
No one seemed to care that I looked like a bird after an oil spill. I avoided the mirror as not to frighten myself or confirm what I knew would be staring back. The harbour was quiet with all the fair weather sailors at home for the day, good for me I thought, no witnesses! We live in a small town, we know everyone and they know us, with every boat going by there is a wave and a bit of conversation. We’re like fish in a bowl for all to see. Before rowing to shore, I pulled a ball cap over my dome just in case someone caught a glimpse of me. Of course sailing in the dry, warm air is a delight. The sun kissed skin, the wild, windswept hair, a cross between Red Skeleton and Phyllis Diller but as long as it’s dry, and flying with crazy abandon I can handle it....stuck to my cranium like it’s been lubed down, not so much.
The pups are taking to the boat readily. For them, anytime they are with us is gravy. Unfortunately they wouldn’t use the pee pad so we rowed them out to Covey’s beach for bathroom breaks. They loved exploring along the shore of the island, happy to have the freedom to do a leg stretch and run. They waded in the seasonably warm water and it took hours for them to dry, so I knew my hair was never going to look anything but oily and flat. Oh well, it’s not like anyone cared. I don’t have to tie a pork chop around my neck to get a pup to kiss me and hubby seems to see what’s inside before any horror that might be happening on the surface. Shiver me timbers, thank goodness love is blind!
We motored home Sunday afternoon and sat at the mooring doing a bit more cleaning and hooking while hubby installed a new battery. The fog was rolling in and although there was a lot of wind, it was also raining. There will be plenty of time to sail in choice conditions so we don’t have to cram every minute on the water with the Dacron hoisted. Not all days will be picture perfect but what is perfect anyway? This getaway was special, time together doing what we love. What could be better?
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