Our Floaty Home

Gosh, it has been forever since I've added a blog post. You'd think that would mean we've been busy having adventures. But, in reality, it means we have just been living our lives, taking care of business, and taking advantage of opportunities as they arise.

First, the most important update: Sofie is all healed up and her fur has grown back over her injuries. She doesn't seem to have been traumatized by the episode. She is still the sweet, mostly mellow, doggie she has always been. She does seem to be slowing down though - maybe because she is approaching the big one-decade-of-life milestone.

Sofie on vacation with her new dog buddies

Now, back to the narrative:

Great burgers too!

After Dave and I got back to Hampton with Aevitas, we rented a car and headed to DC to get our pup and our car. We hung out for a few days with Charlie and Heather and, on the day we were planning to leave, our check engine light went on. Ugh! There was something wrong with the turbo. Thankfully, we were still under warranty, but had to take the car to a dealership service department to get it fixed. We couldn't get it in to a mechanic near DC for another week, so we took our chances and drove the car back to Hampton since we could get the car in the next day. We made it! But between needing to get the warranty folks to authorize the work, and the time to get the parts, we were car-less in Hampton for about 10 days. Fortunately we are in walking distance to the grocery store and the Vanguard, sunsets still happen, and Amazon delivers to the marina. Being without wheels in Hampton isn't too bad.

Tule View

Then came the opportunities and crazy scrambling. I had a chance for a quick trip out west to spend some time in Tulelake with good friends and both my kids. BOTH kids, at the same time, for multiple days!!!! After my trip was organized, we got a call from Captain Jeff asking if Dave wanted to help move our friend's catamaran from the British Virgin Islands back to Deltaville, VA. Of course the answer was a "Yes!" But, now we had to figure some things out. We were still car-less and we each had to get to different airports (Dave flew out of Norfolk, and I was flying from Baltimore), our go-to for Sofie care (Charlie and Heather) were traveling and not an option for dog sitting, and we wanted to be back in DC by May 17th for Charlie's Change of Watch Ceremony.

The Goddess of the Universe cut us a break and we got our car back before Dave needed to leave, so I was able to drive him to the airport. Then, we found a fantastic dog sitter for Sofie. And, thanks to Lyft and car rentals, the rest fell into place. We expected Dave to be back in Hampton before I returned from Tulelake, so I left the car in Hampton and rented a car to drive to Baltimore. I stayed with Camille and we flew out together the next day. The trip went too fast, but it was absolutely wonderful to spend time with good friends in Carson City, Reno and Tulelake, my folks in Dayton, and the kids. I love seeing my people.

Dave at Highbourne Cay, Bahamas...hopefully, next year we will both be there on Aevitas

As to be expected, Dave's trip from BVI back to the US went great for several days and then, you know, the weather. Dave and gang ended up ducking into Saint Augustine to let some weather pass before finishing the trip. Time was ticking to be able to get to DC in time for Charlie's ceremony. Fortunately, Captain Jeff was able to find another crew member, and Dave was able to rent a car and drive back to Hampton. When Dave got back to Hampton, he returned the rental and drove our car up to DC. It all worked. We made it to Charlie's Change of Watch, which was amazing.

About two days after we returned from DC, we went for a short sail to Cape Charles to meet some friends for dinner. We stayed overnight and returned to Hampton the next day. This is what boat life is all about! We had a lovely little outing.

As we start our second year in boat life, I'm realizing I learned some important things in the first year: 1. the dog is not a sailor; 2. I need a land base for painting; 3. We need regular trips west that are of long enough duration to spend quality time with the people we love. We have workable solutions for the first two things. We found a dog sitter that Sofie loves and they seem to think she is alright as well. And for painting, there is a room here at the marina that I can use. The regular trips west are something within our control and we will need to do the dreaded "P" word - "plan" - to make that happen.

My hope for this year, is that we have fewer "hurry up and get there" kinds of experiences on the boat. I just read an interesting rule for RV life: The Rule of Threes: don't travel more than three hours, arrive by three in the afternoon, stay at least three days. With sailing, there will be times when we need to do a longer passage or an overnighter because of distances between anchorages or marinas, but I'm thinking that can be the exception rather than the rule. I really like the second two rules. Early afternoon arrivals mean time to anchor or dock and get the dog taken care of. Three days is usually enough time to explore a new place without feeling too rushed.

I have come to realize I need to change my thoughts about boat life and what that means. I've been looking at this like we have made such a big investment in the boat that if we aren't using it as a boat, we are wasting the potential of living on a boat. When we went into this, I had visions of living this life where we are cruising around, anchoring in pristine little inlets, playing in the water, exploring islands. Of course, it was pretty much based on the idea that we would be spending months in the Caribbean or maybe even the Mediterranean. The reality is that insurance requirements may prevent us from cruising in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. The reality also is that our dog isn't cut out for long passages and I am not a fan of constantly moving from place to place. My new perspective is: We live on a boat, we do not live for the boat.

Here is to a year that is less boat-centric. Here is to painting, writing, exploring by foot and car, going to museums and movies, spending time with our loved ones, and, sailing. Here is to living, not in a boat, but in a floaty home.