Greetings!
Steph and I waved goodbye to another good weather window for departure this morning, something we’re getting pretty used to. We were initially delayed by flooding, heavy rain and treacherous waves which we welcomed at the time, giving us an excuse to finish up some projects. Now, however, we find ourselves delayed by those exact projects. Turns out the monumental list of tasks we have to accomplish before we can leave is hard to do in a short amount of time. Who knew?! Everyone.
There are some words of advice echoing between us these last couple weeks as we power through total exhaustion, putting in 17hrs of work daily to cross off items we scrawl on the back of receipts or dictate to our phones. “Everything takes three times longer than you think”, is one of these phrases. “It’s not a race!” is another, and the most relevant one as of late, repeated yesterday by Cesselia and Jay, and my friend Tony Cook before that: “leave when you’re ready.” Somehow we are always humbled by the relevance of these phrases. Today is no exception. We’ll mutter them under our breath as we make for the finish line. Even as we hear ourselves say, “It’s not a race!”
Preparing to sail away is unlike any other preparation. Not only do you have to run the motions of detaching yourself from life on land, taking time off work, moving your things into storage, saying goodbye to friends and family. But you also have to prepare yourself and your boat for a somewhat nomadic lifestyle. This essentially means blurring the boundaries between a sea-fairing vehicle and a home.
All around us are symbols of the duality that cruising sailboats must embody. Bolts hang above us as we make breakfast. The fiberglass superstructure peeks at us from beside our bed. Groceries and dry goods are stowed on board next to power tools, ropes and pulleys. Spare swimsuits are a foot away from flair guns and signal mirrors. Aisles of CVS goods are neatly packed so we never have to run to the store, and our man-overboard systems are pleasingly “readily accessible” along with snacks. Preparing for voyage is trying to balance utility with comfort, and at the moment, it honestly seems impossible. But wait, what’s that on the horizon? Land? A windline on the water? No, it’s the finish line!! We’re so close!!
(It’s not a race)
-Captain Thatch
Sail Agora 