What Larks!
One Month In: The Cruising Life
Before we left, I thought we would and wouldn't miss wifi, a car, and our routine. One month in, and I was right!
Wifi
Wifi: Not having wifi is the worst, but when we get wifi at a restaurant or marina office, I’m a little stumped as to what I wanted to do so badly. After I’ve checked email, downloaded books and audiobooks, and updated the blog, what is there to do?
A car
Not having a car in the US is a logistical challenge. We had mechanical problems with both our inboard diesel and our outboard gas engines. We had to pick up a part for the inboard, and would have needed a car and an additional week to drop off the outboard for service in Miami. Luckily, the marina we stayed at during the storm was able to fix the outboard for us in 2 days (during which time the part got delivered to the wrong marina - it’s never dull!)When we left, we stocked up for 6 weeks. It took us 1 month to run low on produce and snacks. We’ve still got enough dry and canned goods, beer and wine to last 10 years, but a few of our liquors are running low. In fact, we are all out of whiskey! We only have spiced rum, dark rum, tequila and gin left! Oh no, I’ve just been informed of sad news regarding the tequila!
Routine
I’ve been busier, worked harder, and been more exhausted than I ever thought possible! My boss never had me work a 12AM-3AM shift, and I never scrubbed and cleaned from 9AM till midnight before!Our current routine is: dinghying the dog to shore, making meals and cleaning up, doing preventive maintenance, fixing things, reading guide books for the next destination, checking weather, sightseeing and taking photos. Non-stop!
Best and worst
Least fun: Rowing to shore in currents and wind while people cheered from the dock as if we were Ernest Shackleton.Most fun: Dolphins on the bow in the Atlantic, sunset over salt marshes, wild horses on the beach, exploring new places, having guests.
Most unexpected: How slow the clock moves on night watches, Lucy actually using the galley to produce food and not just rum and cokes, how busy we’ve felt and how tiring mini-retirement is. And don’t forget how we sailed ourselves right into a tropical storm when we are trying to get north to avoid them! Matt says he has no stamina for this real life stuff after sitting in an office in the A/C for so long 😃. I also thought we’d be meeting other cruising couples and finding Best Friends Forever, but we haven’t met a soul.
Final thoughts
So far, so good. I thought I would be bored with the lifestyle, stressed by figuring out new places, and sick of 24/7 family time. But it has been great, really, really great. Our comfort zone has certainly expanded, we don’t want a divorce and the boat is neither sunk or for sale. What larks! |
| Exploring Fernandina Beach with the fam |
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| Exploring Dungeness Ruins, Cumberland Island, GA |
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| Sunset over Fernandina Harbor Marina. Independence is in the mooring field - you can see her anchor light in the center of the photo. |
6 comments
Lack of internet was always the thing that got to me most when we were out cruising. I know you're worried about the liquor supply, but do you have enough food for Hastings?
ReplyDeleteI was replying to this yesterday when my cell phone lost signal, sites, it's a pain. We have enough food for Hastings - he actually has dehydrated food that looks good.
DeleteI worry about all the same things! Just without the lovely pictures to post! After spending 48 hrs on the independence it seems to me as if sailing with Hastings is like sailing with a child. Except Hastings had a better attitude than the children. Must be because he doesn't have an iPhone!
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't have a choice! Also, he happily helps with the dishes!
DeleteAfter all these years, I still struggle a bit with rainy days. The barometer and local forecast keep promising summer's on the way but it's taking it's sweet time! The good news is that the sky has cleared and the sun is shining again so this could be it (at least according to the calendar).
ReplyDeleteWe're the opposite - we look forward to rainy days for a break from the sun! Of course, it never rains for long here in the South.
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