It has been a month since I left Southport. I can't believe how the time is flying by, and I feel like I haven't gone very far. Between weather and repair delays, my traveling days have been sparce. I am in Maryland though, having passed through most of North Carolina and through Virginia.
I made it further up the Chesapeake yesterday. The Bay was so calm in the afternoon, I bypassed Soloman's Island and headed straight to Herring Bay, south of Annapolis. As much as I would have loved to spend the afternoon with some of my looper friends, I also knew I had to take advantage of the calm seas. I came into the marina, and met a friend of Dean's, Joie. After a couple days of anchoring, it was good to be back on land and go out for dinner. I am really looking forward to tomorrow, when I will be heading up to Annapolis with Joie and her mother aboard. I will be able to stay in Joie's slip at her marina , which is awesome. I have also been promised a hot bath! (It is just what this girlie girl needs!)
So, for a summary of life on my little boat:
I am enjoying long, hot, showers in somewhat public restrooms... who knew? On my little boat, I have to conserve water, and the best time to shower is after the engine has been running, at the end of a day on the water. My new routine is showering in the afternoon or evening. I appreciate clean public bathrooms, and I appreciate my flip flops (aka shower shoes).
In checking the oil this morning, I noticed more belt dust, meaning my belt for my engine was too loose. I had to fix it... and I know I tend to rely on people to help me (or maybe do things for me... and is this such a bad thing?). My friend Jon came over, and supervised me in changing my own belt. It was the right thing to do, and there was only one nut that was too difficult for me to loosen. I replaced the Napa Auto part belt with the Yanmar certified belt. About two minutes later, a mechanic from Zimmerman came over to check the belt, and he tightened it a little further for me and felt the problem would be taken care of with the new belt. Checking oil and other levels is part of my new routine, as well as noticing anything out of the ordinary with my engine. I did procrastinate the ten minutes it actually took to change the belt for several hours, but made good use of the time by cleaning my boat, rinsing the salt spray, and putting Rain-X on the windows.
Docking: I love floating docks with long finger piers, like we have in Southport. I am further north, where floating docks are becoming more rare. I remember my son telling me that it is different here in the North, because of the freezing temperatures in the winter. Most boats have to be taken out of the water and stored "on the hard". One of the neighboring sailboat owners remarked that his boat had just been put back in the water, a little late this season, because of the weather. I am sure as I head north, I will see more differences. Docking with pilings and small finger piers is difficult even with a dock hand. I gratefully used my remote control for my bow and stern thrusters for the first time.
Water and sewage: Knowing what is consumed and where it all goes is important and can not be taken for granted. I have a 30 gallon tank for fresh water. Some of this is used to flush the toilet. It is also used for cooking, cleaning, showering and brushing my teeth. If I run out of bottled water, I also have to drink this water. It does not taste as good as bottled, even though I run it through a filter. Many marinas have places to empty the holding tank. In Annapolis, where a lot people anchor or moor their boat, there are boats that come around and empty their holding tanks. I don't want to imagine how bad life could get if I didn't empty my holding tank on time...so I try to get it done frequently, at least once a week or so.
My boating skills have been improving, at least I have more confidence now than I did a month ago. I am learning my boat and more about what I can and can't do. I am still trying to figure out how much fuel I need. I have to rely on engine hours and averages. For the last two fills I was averaging less than a gallon per hour. Before the repairs, I was averaging 2 gallons per hour.
Finally, at the end of this first month, I am grateful for all the friends who have been with me along this journey, and for the new friends I have made. This trip is so much about the people we meet along the way!
:)
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