A frustrating, yet necessary, weekend

Looks pretty, right?  Well, not so much in 30 mile per hour gusts and rain.  That's what we faced when we tried to charter a boat here this weekend.  First lesson in chartering a boat.  You have to go when you say you're going to go, regardless of what the weather is doing.  I do not believe that, had we been on our own boat, we would have gone out based on the forecast.  But we went, because we only had a (very expensive) 24 hour window. 

Leaving the slip was trickier than we had anticipated with a party pontoon directly behind us and a strong wind blowing us to starboard and into another boat.  We managed to back out, though we tagged the boat next to us with our bow. I am still kicking myself for not dropping a fender.  Nothing was damaged, but it was the principal of the thing.  

Sailing downwind was great. And I had my first experience cooking in a galley while underway.  I'm happy to report that was a success.  But then we realized that one key bag of our groceries for the weekend was sitting in our refrigerator at home.  Choices dwindling, we headed back into a headwind so strong that we could not make any progress with the reefed mainsail up.  Again, had this been our boat, we could have messed around with the jib.   Instead, to play it safe, we motorsailed back at a much slower speed than we had earlier in the day.  What started as a nice sail quickly turned into us bashing into wave after wave as the gusts hit 29 knots.  I struggle with seasickness, so to play it safe myself, I ducked down into the cabin where things were a lot bumpier but at least I could lie down and close my eyes (which always helps me).  Unfortunately, this left Henry and Reese alone in the cockpit where the adventure got trickier.  The reef line that someone before us had tied came loose, and Henry was forced to tie it down while underway while being pelted with the waves. 

When we finally got back in, I questioned the plan the boys had come up with. That went over like a bag of rocks, and I'm now kicking myself for that too. I was groggy and in no position to know what had been going on up above.  It turns out it didn't matter, because after three unsuccessful tries at our slip we ended up docking.  Second lesson in chartering a boat. People are so nice.  Several other sailors came out to help us tie up to the dock and were very reassuring about the wind and the difficult conditions.  One very experienced sailor told us he even had trouble. I doubt he was telling the truth, but I appreciated his kindness.

Overnight, we had a storm but all of us seemed to survive that without too much of an issue. Henry complained of seasickness because of sleeping on the boat, but I slept really well.  That we both experienced some seasickness though has us both questioning whether this lifestyle will work for us. I'm curious to hear about others' experiences with this. 

Confidence shaken, we mulled over whether we should attempt to take the boat to pump out and fuel up. Finally, we decided to go for it.  And we pulled it off without a hitch!  We even managed to put the boat back in the right slip when we returned!  Another sailor came over to tell us how brave we were for doing it.

Now, almost 8 hours off the boat, I still feel like I'm moving...or the ground under my feet is.  I wonder if one eventually acclimates to that or if I'll always feel a little unsteady after sailing. 

Next up - Florida in December.  This is the big test. It's a full week on a catamaran.  Yikes!

Another piece of the puzzle clicks into place

My niece and her fiance have agreed to live at our home!  The plan is tentative, but things look good. This is a giant puzzle piece, and it's a big relief to have it sliding into place.  Of course, it's also another thing making this whole idea a whole lot more real.  The practical questions of what to sell, what to keep and what they will want to keep have hit me full force.   My guess is that they'll want the riding lawnmower to stay!  It's 10 acres of property with about 2 acres of lawn and yard.  They might want our Jeep to double as snow blower.  Those are the obvious ones. But what about everything else?  Do they want the big TV?   Will they use this couch or that bed frame? What about the dining room set?  My brain might explode.  We will see them in a couple of weeks and I will attempt not to bombard them with these questions. 

My greatest challenge seems to be breaking the To Do lists down into manageable pieces.  I find that there is so much to do that I am frozen, overwhelmed.  There is so much to do that I do nothing at all.  I'm paralyzed.  I need to figure this out.  My hope is that when the kids start school in a couple of weeks, I will be more focused and able to answer these questions. 

Suddenly, leaving this place is bittersweet.  The hummingbirds will definitely miss us!  I'm a tiny bit jealous of my niece.

Another BIG hurdle overcome!

Certified in three sailing classes? Check! (Well, at least Henry is - I only have two under my belt, but I'm okay with that...mostly)

Sailing a 35 foot monohull?  Check!  This, up from the 23 foot sloop we started on.  Pretty proud of us.

Bringing the whole family sailing for an overnight?  Check!  And we didn't kill each other (bonus points)! Pictured below was our home for two days and two nights.  We took the live aboard option, so the first night was spent getting settled. Another bonus, Henry and I slept in the very tiny V-berth.  All 6'0" of my husband getting in and out of it absolutely made the trip for me.

Most of the first full day of sailing was drills. And more drills. Oh, and then we did more drills.  I lost count of how many times we did the Man Overboard drill, but after trying various ways of doing it I've decided that the quick-stop method is the toughest. I don't think there's anything quicker about it either, given our experiences.  Once again, I'll admit that I like sailing much more than I like sailing lessons. At some point, my brain is just FULL and I can't absorb anymore.  I found that aspect of being on the boat exhausting.

However, the rest of it was fantastic!  I actually loved the small space. We had plenty of room, and I realize that everything else from here on out is going to feel pretty luxurious.  The boat we plan to buy will be in the 40-43 foot range, and it'll be a catamaran.  Having been on a 43' foot catamaran on a charter, I'd have to say that it felt like two different worlds.

Our kids felt a little queasy at times, so we'll have to keep an eye on that.  But they did so well with everything that, at the end of the trip, our Captain said they were sweet kids!  And she was ever so impressed with their dedication in cleaning the boat for the next sailors.  We can thank my mom for instilling that value in me.  Thanks, Grandma Cherryl!

As far as galley cooking goes, that's going to be several more posts, I think.  But it really wasn't that different from cooking at home. Sure, everything is a little less spread out, but how much room do you really need?  Preparation is key.  If you have a stove top that is covered by a counter top, use that first to chop your veggies and get your ingredients ready.  I think having a few small, stackable bowls is going to be essential.

I was extremely relieved to discover that I do not get seasick from sleeping on the water!  The seasickness aspect of sailing has worried me, but I've only really gotten sick once. On the Pacific. After a storm.  It was rocking and rolling, and I wasn't the only victim.  I haven't had an issue since.  I briefly felt nauseated motoring in to the harbor, but I think that had more to do with the diesel fumes than with the water.  So maybe it's really true that everyone will get sick once in awhile...going to keep my Sea Band and Bonine in stock though, just in case.

Our next hurdle is taking out a 35' boat without a safety net (no Captain)!  That's only two weeks away.  I feel that we are, obviously, better prepared than we were before this trip, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there's a huge learning curve in here somewhere...stay tuned! 

What does it mean to be home?

I've always thought it's about where my family is, but my entire family won't be on the boat.  I'm thinking about my mom today. It's not just about her reluctance to sail. It's about her reluctance to travel at all, even to visit us.  My stepson's girlfriend is having a similar reaction.  I am powerless to change their minds and, really, I don't want to try.  What if I did convince them to visit and then they (and by extension, us) were miserable for the entire time?  While I'm wrestling with leaving family behind, we are also facing the problem of what to do with our homestead.  Our yard in the Spring, Summer and Fall is absolutely gorgeous.  Exhibit A:

 
It's Winter that we object to more and more, especially the older we get. So we sell, right? Ah, not so fast.  Our property is scheduled to be rezoned in 2022.  At that point, it may be worth considerably more as developers could chop it into smaller pieces.  So, what do we do?  Do we sell it now as a house with acreage?  Do we try to get developers to purchase it now and divide it into three or four lots (which it is zoned for), or do we try to rent it until 2022 when the zoning changes?  More than any other difficulty in sailing away, this is the one keeping my brain whirring at 11:58pm on a weeknight.  I don't know that there is a good answer, because each comes with its own set of pros and cons.  Who could we get to rent it?  Dog classes are also taught here on a full size agility field. What happens to that as my fellow trainers take over the business?  My hope is that things will be made clear as we get closer to our departure date.

Meanwhile, I am trying to redefine what "home" means to me.  No small task. 

Boat shoes for everyone!

As we attempt to save our money for this adventure, I'll admit that it's a little shocking how expensive some of the gear is that we need. We went to Scheel's Sporting Goods this weekend to get boat shoes for the family.  And I got the BEST tip from one of the sales people.  She had me try on the child's Keen shoe instead of heading over to the women's section.  As it turns out, a child's size 6 is roughly equivalent to a women's size 8.  This little trick saved me $50 on these (very high quality) shoes! 

Things I will not miss

I had the kind of crazy, run around type of day that is all too common in my world.  One child had a day camp at the zoo.  The other had a pre-audition workshop for dance.  An appraiser came to our home to assess our baby grand piano, since we're thinking that's not practical for our boat.  We will have to sell it.  And a mechanic came out as well.  That one was pretty horrifying, as he told me that the air conditioner itself is just fine. It's the mice chewing at the wiring that is the problem.  The little beasts have eaten through a bunch of wiring and that's why the air is out.  And it's 90 degrees and humid.  Try teaching a dog class in that.  Now we need an electrician. And oh! Is that the time?  I had three private dog training appointments, peppered in locations all over the south metro.  More drive time than appointment time.  I started at 6:30am and got home around 8:30pm.  This, I will not miss.

If nothing else, this will be here to remind me of this sort of day when something goes wrong on the boat.  I can look back at this blog and think to myself, "At least, I'm no longer doing that!"

I saw my children for a total of approximately 17 minutes today.  There was so much rushing around that when we are all (briefly) home at the same time, all I wanted was to sit in a quiet room by myself.   I wonder how many people feel like they're rushing through their lives to "get to the end" of the work?   Because that's how I felt today.

Then my sweet husband informed me that he will take our daughter to camp tomorrow morning. I could have wept.  I want to hang out with that guy more often!  Then to put the cherry on top, he told me that there was a "favorite sailing spot" thread on the sailing forum at cruisersforum.com.  This is what I want to hold in my head for tonight's dreams:

Habla Espanol?

Nope!  At least, not yet.  Thank goodness for duolingo.com and the many translator apps I've found.  I am hoping that it will be enough to get by...my actual, secret hope is that the attempt at Spanish in a foreign country will purchase at least a little bit of goodwill and that most people speak some English.  I think that immersion once we get there will help, but until then I'll be at the mercy of the local population. 

Meanwhile, the questions keep piling up. What kind of boat will we be able to afford? And most recently, WHERE should we buy it?  There seems to be a huge variation in price if you buy a boat in Europe.  I would love to hear of others' experiences with this, so we're doing some research.  Okay, we're doing a LOT of research.

My biggest question this week has been - how do you get everything onto the boat?  I'm presuming that we can haul the clothes we need to the marina, as well as some other necessities like linens and such.  But what about cookware, dinnerware?  We live in Minnesota. The last time I checked, there wasn't an ocean nearby.  Are we supposed to load up our car and drive to a coast with all of our stuff?  My husband says that if it doesn't fit in a car, it won't fit on a boat. But really?  There are 5 of us, and we have a Ford Fusion. 'Nuff said.   I think there must be some way to get the stuff on the boat that we need.  Can we bring a tv?  What about the Wii?  lol

Color me baffled.