Normal

We spent a long time in Port Washington, NY. It got kind of normal, if I want to go way out on a descriptive limb. The arrival into Manhassett bay from Long Island Sound 2 weeks ago was pretty traumatic for me. We didn't get to the mouth of the bay until 11 at night, and the rain had started about sunset. Just squalls, as Sipsey would say, but for a few minutes we'd be totally blinded by rain, then back out into the regular dark for 15 minutes before the next one hit. Of course Murphy's law says that the wind was directly down the bay from our anchorage towards us. Our AIS transceiver was awfully nice that night, telling us when the barges were coming while still hidden by islands and rain. They pop out of the dark in a very unsettling way, and they can't stop, or turn, and they go lots faster than we do. So we dodged the barges and motor-sailed down the bay, where we dropped the anchor at the first opportunity, instead of wandering around the mooring field at 1:00 am. I fell asleep pretty much a wreck, and slept for a long time.

After 2 weeks of being there, I want to share some of what our life is like swinging from the hook.

We now sleep in the V berth, which Jenn told you all about, and it's awesome. The fore-mast runs through the v-berth and on windy days it creaks, and the unused running backstays bang on the mast. Think of a drum in your bedroom, with someone else banging on it. We tie off the spare halyard, and the regular halyard, and one of the backstays, so usually there isn't any noise, but that just makes the occasional noise even worse.

We get up, me around dawn, Jenn a little later, usually when I've heated water, and sometimes not until I actually make coffee, but I don't drink coffee, so I don't really know what I'm doing, so I don't do it very often. It's on my long list of things to be better at.

If the wind is blowing hard (which it did a lot in Port Washington, irritatingly) we try to stay on the boat until the waves die down. Rowing the dinghy in waves more than a few inches high is irritating. I need to be better at that too. However, occasionally we plan things with other humans, and that involves going out when I might not otherwise do it. I rowed Sipsey and Maryam out to the boat one day in waves I wouldn't normally cruise around in.

Wyatt is pretty good about holding still in the dinghy

Before we left I rowed in to land with 2 empty jerry jugs of gasoline and 8 of water. Our jugs are 3 gallons each, so they are easy to carry and move, but we have a bunch of them. Fortunately, that was the first time we'd bought gas since Blue Hill, ME, which was cool.

There are constantly boat projects to be done. A boat is a remarkably harsh environment for, well, anything. There are almost infinite quantities of sun, salt water, and motion, and in concert they can destroy just about anything in short order. Fabric and electronics are prime victims. So we do anything we can to prevent chafe and protect expensive things. And some things just need to be replaced and re-covered every so often. So we have chores that never end. And everything is packed into the smallest space possible, since cubic feet are so valuable on a boat.