Hard Decision/The most...

 

We have come to the very difficult decision to pull Quiet Time out of the water and put her on the “hard” for the remainder of hurricane season.  There were several factors that let us know the universe is hinting at having Thunderbolt Marina in Georgia, where we are now, be her safe place.  The weather has already started turning.  Alberto has been named and the prediction for an above average year for hurricanes played the biggest role in our decision.  The next leg of the ICW is tricky during good weather and we would not want to rush and make mistakes while we try to avoid icky weather.  Our dinghy motor still has not been fixed and without it we are not comfortable moving north.  Without a dinghy we have no way of leaving the boat unless we dock.  And, the marina in North Carolina that took our initial reservation for August, apparently could not accommodate us earlier.  So, we have started the process of cleaning and emptying the boat.

I thought that I would review our last 6 months of things we have seen and done with adjectives. 

Excitement – the first day we left the dock in Ft Lauderdale – Finally!!  What a feeling after so many delays due to weather.

Aha moment – first time someone called Paul “Captain”.  (Still kind of takes me by surprise!)

Impressive – draw bridges and the bridge masters who coordinate.  Some can time it perfectly based on how fast we come upriver and minimize traffic interruption.  True masters!

Most helpful – Steve, our electrician, for giving us the power to be self-sufficient and not have to run the generator.

Biggest relief – anchoring/docking/mooring for the night and knowing we are safe.

Gratitude – BWC class and everything we learned that helped us succeed.

Biggest regret – not doing this sooner.

Most frustrating – triple water leak under the stairs.

Silliest – calling the bridge at Jupiter Inlet – there is no bridge!  We had 2 different captains explain it to us on the VHF hand held radio we use to communicate with other boats and bridge masters.

Most beautiful – sunrise in Hobe Sound.

Scariest – finding ourselves hooked to another boat’s anchor lines in the middle of the night in high winds and high seas.

Most joyous – watching the dolphins play with the boat.  I never get tired of their antics.

Saddest – seeing a dead dolphin floating by.  They turn white and do not sink. ☹

Calm – early mornings when the water is like glass and the wildlife is most active.

Strangest – watching the manatee’s mate, so aggressive.

Favorite beach – Crescent Beach, near Fort Matanzas, Florida.

Favorite guest – hands down, Brianna!

Most nutty – taking a shower in the rain.

Surprise – how friendly people are and how many want to hear our story.

Disappointment – realizing we need to pull boat out earlier than planned due to weather and scheduling.

Awkwardness – when the older captain we hired in Daytona had me tighten the halyard to point of breaking a piece off the track that flew across the deck.  Ugh!

Most difficult – missing out on family events, happenings. 

Easiest – forgetting about jobs and working.

Most annoying – bugs in Georgia!

Most disgusting – having the anchor pull up with a used condom attached.

Most thankful – being able to share our best life with visitors, sailing clubs, BWC family, etc.

Most ostentatious – the support yacht with more toys than Santa.

Consistent change – Paul barefoot for days on end.

Best Life