March 20, 2012

It has been a long time since I have blogged, but only because every moment that isn’t part of our regular life/routine has been spent on research, purchasing, prepping the boat, making lists, and other planning for our voyage.

There have been many exciting moments in the past few months:

Chris takes his open water certification dive in Fort Myers Beach, Florida

-Chris is now SCUBA certified so he can explore the ocean and use his new spear gun!

-I met with the amazing teachers at the Ho-Ho-Kus School to plan the boatschooling curriculum for next year.

-We have visited boat shows in search of the perfect dinghy and outboard motor.  We pick them up on Long Island next week!

-We have shared news about our voyage with friends and family and love seeing their excitement for us grow.

-We took a how-to course in family acupuncture and first aid.  Each of us learned to give an acupuncture treatment in order to help with common first aid scenarios that might be encountered next year.  The kids loved it and have practiced several times since then. (see more great pics on our gallery page).

Porter’s Large Intestine 4 Point Gets Happy

-Reese got a new fishing pole from Santa.

Reese’s new fishing pole

-We have gotten many packages from our recently overworked UPS man: special boat “Tupperware”; nesting pots and pans; a brand new, shiny propeller; a collapsible colander; stainless steel flatware; first aid supplies; books; charts; a new VHF radio; a shiny ship’s bell…Sadly for our wallet, the list goes on and on and on….

We are truly in the final stretch at this point.  We leave in less than four months, which is exciting (if you are me) and a cause for total panic (if you are Chris).  We both have a lot left to do on our To Do Lists:

-The boat is due to launch the first week of April, which is when the real fun will start.

Snug as a Bug for the Winter

-I am collecting and storing a LOT of things for the boat, trying to figure out how I will get it all on the boat.

H2Out, my new favorite item: reusable, non-electic dehumidifiers!

-We are taking care of all the little half-finished house projects that have been hanging over our heads.  I FINALLY got around to making that window seat cushion!

I FINALLY got around to making that window seat cushion!

-We ordered a new dodger and bimini (the collapsible, canvas protective “roof” in the cockpit) and new covers for the dinette cushions.

-I am simplifying life here at home, going through closets, the basement, the attic, and every last drawer to get rid of anything we don’t need.

Cleaning the power lines that came with the boat.

Shiny as New:)

-I have been working on our website (argh.  So confusing.), reading books about cruising families (Christmas gifts from Carolyn and Aaron), and making lists upon lists of provisions, first aid kit items, equipment, and safety procedures (with help from our doctor friends and a cruising family we met online).

-Last night, Chris and I watched a movie called Ice Blink, which is about a family of five who has lived aboard a 33’ boat (small!) and circumnavigated the world as well as Greenland (yeah, the one surrounded by icebergs).  It made us feel WAY less crazy because those people are insane.

Removing the old port of call from the transom

-I am currently working on finalizing the design for the name of the boat so I can order the decals for the side that say “Patronus” and our port of call: Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey.

New faucets in the sinks

-Chris is working on the engine, replacing the plumbing fixtures in the heads, replacing the batteries, and finalizing our electronics suite.  We have navigation electronics, safety electronics, and electronics for communications.  And it’s all confusing.

Call Us If You Can Figure This Out:)

While it may sound overwhelming or even unpleasant to some, I am enjoying every step, every project, and all the details.  I know that the hard work I am putting in now will allow for an easy transition to life onboard.  Some of the boat projects present new challenges to me-things I’ve never done before.  I love to learn new things and figure out the answers to new sets of problems.  So rather than ramble on here, I think I will go tackle that design for the name of our boat….

Check out our theme song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bKwRW0l-Qk

November 13, 2011

“There is nothing- absolutely nothing-
half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats.”
-Ratty – Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

The crew returned early this morning from delivering the boat to Haverstraw from Essex, CT.  I was itching to go up and visit our new boat, so I packed up some cleaning supplies and drove up.  I got my security card from the marina office and made my way down the dock.  There were very few boats left in the water as it is so late in the season.  It was kind of strange to be walking down a dock not knowing where our boat was.

I saw a boat on the left that was very clearly a liveaboard.  There was a man tinkering around in the cockpit amongst fishing nets, hanging lanterns, solar panels, a wind generator, and other telltale signs of life aboard.  I stopped to introduce myself, feeling like a member of his community already.  His name is Richard and he lives aboard with his wife.  We chatted for awhile and then I continued down the dock.  Already, I feel the slower pace of life sinking in.  It was nice to stop awhile and shoot the breeze with Richard instead of bee-lining my way to the boat to “get started”.

Suited up for the chilly day during the marine survey

I got to the boat and couldn’t believe that I was looking at our very own boat.  I felt protective and couldn’t believe that it had been left all day with just four lines keeping it tied to the dock.  I climbed aboard and unlocked the hatch with our key.  The hatch felt salty, so before I even went down below, I cleaned the companionway, the hatch, and all the tracks (this might not come as a huge surprise to those who know me).

Once down below, I looked around as if getting to know someone I knew was going to be a good friend at some point.  It reminded me of the first time we went into our house for the first time after the purchase closing.  I began to clean the boat, lovingly taking care of her, getting to know all the nooks and crannies.  I discovered a storage area I hadn’t seen during the survey.  I actually said, “Yay!!!” –out loud-, even though I was by myself.  It was like finding an extra gift behind the tree, after you opened all your other gifts.  Storage on a boat is S C A R C E.  Every square inch of space will be used and cherished, so finding this extra little space was amazing.

It was a precious, lovely afternoon, messing around on our new boat.  I will never forget those first few hours I had alone with her and know she will never look quite the same to me again.

For my precious subscribers (thank you, thank you!), just a few more old journal entries to publish and then your email will be left alone for awhile!

November 12, 2011

The Delivery Crew (Chris, Mark, Tom, Riesling, Bryson)

Yay!  We closed on our boat, obtained boat insurance (count your lucky stars that I will not be sharing THAT story with you), and arranged for a slip at Haverstraw Marina, which is just north of Nyack, on the Hudson River.  Our new boat was in Essex, so we needed to move it from there to her new home, and we needed to do it before it got any colder!  Finding a good weather weekend that worked for our crew was difficult, though not for a lack of enthusiastic volunteers (thanks to Erica’s Dad and Frank who also offered to help!)  Finally, the stars seemed to align and we were ready to take her home.

Porter and I drove the delivery crew up to Essex, CT early (really early) Saturday morning.  It was a brilliant, crisp morning and the drive was full of excitement.  The crew was Chris, Bryson, Riesling, Tom (Chris’ brother), and Mark (our friend from Cornell).  We loaded up the boat with food and supplies and they set off down the Connecticut River for a 20 hour sail (not a 3 hour tour on the SS Minnow, but keep that in mind…).

Patronus is ready to move to her new home…

Porter and I took pictures of their departure and then drove down to the mouth of the river, where it meets the Long Island Sound.  When they went past, we took a few more pictures and we waved good-bye.  We drove all the way home and had some lunch.

Then Chris called and I could tell by the tone of his voice and the howling wind in the background that things weren’t going too smoothly.  He told me I might have to come pick them up, that he was considering going back.  The combination of higher than forecasted winds, huge chop (large waves), and a strong easterly current (they were travelling west towards NYC) was creating conditions that Chris couldn’t remember ever facing in his 30+ years of sailing.  He was upset that the kids were on the boat and just wanted them to be safe.  Everyone was feeling sick from the motion and their progress was little better than “backwards”.

Calmer moments. Chatting with Uncle Tom.

I found their location on a map and called local marinas to see if I could find someplace for them to dock.  In the meantime, Chris decided that he would try to get the boat south to the north shore of Long Island, where there might be some protection from the wind, waves, and current.

He called me an hour later and said that they got to the north shore of Long Island and it was a little better going.  He planned on sticking it out a few more hours and then checking in with me.  A few hours later, we talked and I checked his progress on the map.  They were close to Port Jefferson and making better time.  The slow progress meant that they would have to negotiate Hell’s Gate (the East River entrance near Manhattan) in the middle of the night.  My dad would be horrified, but Chris felt confident that they could do it.

The view from the East River

Sure enough, the current slacked, the wind died down, and once out of the Long Island Sound, the East River was calm.  They rounded the southern tip of Manhattan at around 0200, headed north up the Hudson River, under the George Washington Bridge, the Tappan Zee Bridge, and into the Haverstraw Marina at 0600 on Sunday.

Dawn on the Hudson River: almost there…

Like all distance sailing, the fear, seasickness, exhaustion, and near insanity was gone by the time they got into their cars to come home.  Chris, Reese, and Bryson walked in the house with all smiles.  They were proud of their accomplishment and courage.  I was proud of how Chris handled the unexpected conditions.  Reese and Bryson were excited about discovering Hot Pockets (classic distance sailing food: handheld, easy to heat up).  I explained to them that they really don’t taste as good when you aren’t cold, wet, and miserable (on top of being completely horrible for you!).

“Whatta ya gonna eat? HOT POCKETS!”

It was kind of a crazy maiden voyage for our new boat, but Chris and she worked well together and now we have a cool story to tell!