What a fabulous trip. I have learned so much on this trip, which I will now share with those who have not gotten bored with our blog...
1. The most important thing I have learned on this trip is that none of us needs much to survive, or to be happy. Ron and I (and Olive) have shared only 36 feet and it has never felt claustrophobic. We have enjoyed 90+% of the ride! So we could live in a trailer if we needed to. We don't want to, but we could.
2. This next learning is really something I have always known...Ron is the best captain ever. I may have been uncomfortable on part of the journey, but I was always safe. He made my coffee almost every day. We compromised with each other and we appreciated each other.
3. Daily life on a boat takes more time than you think. Okay, first you have to deal with the captain poking on you, but then it is time to get up, make coffee, and try to get some exercise. Then you have figure out tides, weather, where you are going next, laundry, etc. I brought a lot of projects, knitting, etc, but I didn't get to as much of that as I had thought I would. I did read four books. Two of which were good enough to recommend.
4. It is different to travel by water! Parts are more stressful (tides, currents, weather) but still none of it is as stressful as TSA. And the world is so much better seen from the water. The history of our country began on the water. We have loved the history on the east coast, and we have actually felt a (little) bit like the Pilgrims as we have reached our destination.
5. When in doubt, secure the spring line first.
6. There is an awesome new app for shopping and booking marinas called DOCKWA. This will be of interest only to boating people, but if you are one, it's worth checking it out.
7. This might offend some folks, but I now know why Yankees don't smile as much as we do. It is cold as hell up here. It is incredibly beautiful, but it is COLD. It is 50 in June on one day, and 70 the next. The corollary to this that the people here are hearty and very friendly. More on that later.
8. You can cook anything you want on the boat. With the right equipment. Thanks to my cast iron cookware, I have made frittatas, potatoes gratin, roasted zucchini, lamb chops, burritos, etc. We will not be thinner when we arrive home. That may be because of the food, or perhaps the drinking.
9. On this trip, we drank more than we normally do. There's something about boats that causes it!
10. On a trip like this, you meet interesting people and uninteresting people. Just like life. Enough said.
11. We have met some amazingly friendly people in the northeast. One man offered to loan us his car, one man in a shop offered to give Ron his readers when his broke, etc. So, just because they aren't smiling, doesn't mean they aren't friendly.
12. You can work from anywhere! On this trip, I was working on a project for a client in Chattanooga. On one day, we were docking in a driving rain while I was on a conference call. Not ideal circumstances, but we managed. Verizon is a sweet thing.
13. I did not wear half of the things I packed for this trip. Because before we left, we looked at average temperatures, not their swings. What were we thinking? But with American Express, this can be fixed.
14. Our friends have have enhanced our trip immensely and we thank them! To Bobby and Liz, Joan and Mac, Sarah and John, Robert and Joyce, Lou, Timothy and Nathalie, and Aunt Sally - you made our journey even better. Thank you.
To our new friends, Brad, Henry, Heidi and Jim, Mike and Bobbi, and Daniel...thank you for your wonderful hospitality.
And Olive would like to thank her two new furry friends, Lily and Jenny.
15. You can fix almost anything with duct tape! It worked on our broken latch in the head and to secure Olive's foot bandage. And Captain Ron has a variety of colors from which to choose.
16. We never got tired of seafood. And I could eat a soft crab right now if someone would give me one. Or a LOBSTAH.
I feel like I now know a lot more about boating than I did before this trip. Being on Invictus every day for two months is a lot different than being on her for a weekend raft up. I now know her almost as well as Ron does!
I am ready go home now. I am looking forward to getting back into my exercise routine and back into my own bed. I want a hot bath. And most of all, I want to wrap my arms around my precious grandchildren. It's time for the playground, the jump park and VSM casserole.
I have truly enjoyed this trip of a lifetime. I would do it all again! Just not anytime soon.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Not everyone has what it takes to be a first mate! You've got this!
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