New Adventures

Early in the summer we selected August 24th as the day we would leave our land-based home in Maine and head back to the boat. September is actually the best month to be in Maine but we have several commitments to speak in the Chesapeake in September so we stuffed the car to the gills, loaded up the crew, and departed.

Once again we fulfilled the requirements of the Red Roof Inn for "one well-behaved dog" - see last August's entry "One well-behaved dog is permitted...". The crew handled two days in a car well and were happy to be back onboard.

If you're wondering where we are, look at the track for Irene. I guess we should be flattered that the National Hurricane Center thought we were important enough to highlight our location.

So today we will spend time preparing for the storm we hope will miss us. We'll get to break in the new foul-weather gear we splurged on last spring. There will be lots of practice tying lines and we'll find out if we really did seal up all the leaks. We've got plans A, B, C and more, including overnight bags and dog food in the car should Dyna and Dylan get to spend another night in a Red Roof Inn.

We hope everyone stays safe!

The Boat Table

In our workout room we have a large folding table. I can't remember why we put it there but over the years it has turned into "the boat table." Whenever we purchase something for the boat or run across something in the house we want to bring to the boat we say, "Put it on the boat table." As the summer moves along the table always becomes piled high and we begin to wonder how we'll ever fit us, the dogs, and all that stuff in the car.

One would think that after almost a decade of doing this we would have everything we need on the boat. But our tastes changes, new things arrive, and old things wear out. The car is just as packed when we leave the boat as we bring back items we no longer use and those special things we don't want to be without for a few months.

Life on the boat forces you to repeatedly evaluate your possessions and decide if owning something is worth the space it uses. After all, there's no attic or basement to stuff things into. It's a great excercise as it requires you to determine what is truly important to you.

So a week from today the whole crew will be back on the boat. We'll arrive, grab some dock carts, empty out the car, and begin settling back into life on the water.

And, if you're wondering what's the most important thing we bring in the car, that's easy, Dyna and Dylan, of course.