12/24 - The excitement and anticipation of moving aboard had us all moving full speed ahead! Andrew, at the boat doing last minute tweaks and the girls & I at home loading cold goods and anything else that came to mind for the final run to the boat. We have limited space available for storage but managed to bring on board everything you would need for the apocalypse.
The moment Abby escaped from her slip, her home for the past 2 years, happened in a blur and before we knew it we were watching the marina shrink in the distance. We all shared sentiments about how we couldn't believe we were finally doing it! We made great time with the outgoing tide and even had a chance to stretch our main sail for the first time in forever. It was a magical afternoon of watching as we passed by familiar settings traversing the Intracoastal for the first time from Jax, enjoying meals and snacks in the cockpit, and chatting it up the whole time; no one spent any time below deck, we just experienced it all together.
As the sun set, we noticed our temp gauge abnormally high. We pulled over & dropped anchor to check it out but we're underway again soon when everything looked in order, but not before realizing that in our hast we hadn't actually bolted down the anchor roller. That made for a little excitement on our first anchor pull :)
As we continued along with the beautiful sunset, we again found our temp out of control so we pulled out of the channel again. At this point in our day, all the adrenaline from leaving had worn off! We were tired and hungry and contemplated just anchoring for the night. It felt like quite a let down if we wouldn't actually arrive at our first destination but Andrew and I tried to keep our spirits up for the girls. We, in our heads, know there will be many times on our journey that we won't reach the intended destination for whatever reason (weather, wind, daylight), our hearts were just set on Christmas morning in St Augustine and we weren't ready to give up on that yet. We decided dinner was the solution - a little brain food and energy to push ahead. Andrew got to diagnosing while I made dinner. After finding the drip that was messing with the temp gauge and a Ziptie fix to our water strainer (not recommended) we were on our way, little did we know that a thick fog had set in.
We pushed the last few miles slowly through the fog with both girls on the bow straining to see the channel markers in the distance, me running below every 5 minutes to check the Zipties and Andrew navigating by instruments only. Approaching the Vilano Beach Bridge in the fog made it look other worldly but as we cleared it and rounded the bend the fog lifted a bit and St Augustine, adorned with it's Christmas best, came into view. We picked up our first mooring ball on the first try, like a pro, and wished each other Merry Christmas as the clock struck midnight and we soaked in our new surroundings. Although pressing through the fog was not the smartest choice, it all seemed well worth it now!
Our first glimpse of St Augustine on Christmas Eve.
A week on board our new home has flown by. Santa brought the girls instruments, Paige - ukulele & Sky - lap harp, and we have enjoyed their serenades as we work. We have spent our days moving in to our new space. Each day it feels a little more like home. We still have tools out - always - and a few boxes of liquor that have yet to find a home but everything else is beginning to settle in.
Chillin'
Things to be learned in your first week aboard:
Move Slowly- Anything that has to be done takes about 10 extra steps on a boat. Whether it's removing all the items in the fridge to get to the beer or searching every storage bin for the one item you need, just expect daily tasks to take a few minutes instead of a few seconds and you will alleviate frustration.
We are always tired- I think our bodies will get used to the constant motion and adapt but I've sent most of the week feeling a bit jet-lagged. At least we have very comfy beds to rest in :)
We are very blessed to have this opportunity- As I watch the city bustle beside us and we struggle to relax into the slower pace of our new daily grind, I am reminded of what a unique opportunity this is.
I love my family very much- We can push each others' buttons to drive each other crazy but there are no other people on the earth I would consider sharing this 37' floating haven with. We've had lots of laughs and only a few tears so far, we've played family games and found our own little corners for private time but everyones' favorite moments are sharing our "highs and lows" from previous days.
HIGHS & LOWS - 12/25/2015 about our passage to St Augustine
Andrew:
LOW -thinking the engine was overheating and we would be stuck for awhile, maybe even days, due to the holiday
HIGH -rounding the bend and seeing St Augustine and watching the girls realize we made it and not letting everyone down.
Sky:
LOW -loading up at the dock, everyone peaking out (stressed) and being pulled in all different directions
-being on lookout during the fog and the nerves from the pressure
HIGH -leaving Arlington Marina, actually doing it!
-decorating for Christmas aboard and chilling together
Paige:
LOW -navigating in the fog and the stress of the responsibility
HIGH -sitting in St Augustine looking at all the Christmas lights
Summer:
LOW -having to stop and thinking we may not make it, not because of the breakdown but thinking our fatigue would keep us from accomplishing the goal
HIGH -every other moment of the day! Traveling waters we'd never been in, everyone taking turns at the helm, looking at the houses we passed, visits from dolphins, the girls engagement during the fog, how excited everyone was when St Augustine came into view, to the very last moment of the day when Paige began to doze while sitting straight up and talking to us :)
So, all that happened in our first week aboard. Just imagine what we'll learn next week as we move to our second marina south and my baby turns 13.
What an awesome first week you all have had! Love that you all are living your dream! Love you guys...hopefully we can fly over and meet y'all somewhere at some point!
ReplyDeleteI love this.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us all.
Love reading your "pits and peaks". It'll all get better, I'm sure. Love you all!
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