One + One = TWO! Two Boats

That's right two boats.   We own two boats.  We have to keep repeating it so that we can help it to sink in.  Two Boats!

Andrew had been eyeing this Allmand 31 at the marina for awhile, before he found out it was for sale.  He pounced with the fervor that only he can muster for something boat related when we found out it was for sale. We finally both had a chance to go to the marina and poke around inside.  And that was it!  He was sold.  I will admit, the boat is much bigger (or seems much bigger) then Sonador.  I mean 6 feet is a lot right?  [insert ironical chuckle here]  A couple of great things about this boat.  The cockpit is HUGE.  There is plenty of room to invite friends and family to come sailing without having to crawl all over them when jibing or tacking.  Second, the boom is fixed to the top of the cabin, not the back of the cockpit.  Which means (for all you who are scratching your heads and saying "huh?") that I don't have to be worried about the boom or sheets (ropes to pull the sails) taking off anyone's head while we are sailing.  We really don't need a new scary story titled "The Legend of Barnegat Bay and the Headless Helmsman"  Third, Andrew can stand up inside the boat!  He is 6'3, so that is a lot of head room in the salon(no, not a hair dressers, I know I hate it too).  Below deck also has a full bathroom/shower combo and a separate cabin for sleeping (with a bed just big enough for Andrew and I).  The boat is also equipped with a refrigeration system and hot water tank.  Now before you start truly salivating over this amazing find - let me tell you the ascetics are not the best.  They have ripped the padding on the ceiling off and haven't replaced it.  Although there is a giant roll of it in the cabin.  And the cushions are all white - uh oh.  It needs a major cleanup and reorganization. But the boat (currently named Kinship) passed inspection with flying colors, so Andrew made an offer.  I mean how could he not.  When it was accepted, I think the initial excitement wore off and then the shock of "Two Boats" started in.  

So Sonador is up for sale.  She was a good boat for the season but now we are moving on.  Hopefully someone else with a love of sailing will buy her.  In the meantime, we are preparing for all the costs that new boats, that are bigger bring.  Pictures soon I hope.  

 

Why true nautical accessories will never make the cover of Glamour!

Yes folks its time again for a Reality vs. Fantasy.

Ralph Lauren, Nautica, J Crew, Tony Burch, Michael Kors.

Everywhere you look these days, designers are showcasing nautical themed clothing and accessories.  Ads showing young men and women dressed in great summer clothing, sandals, stripes, bracelets, hats and every other thing that will go flying off the department store rack.  For those of you out there that haven't been sailing or lived close to a harbor where people are out using these personal sailboats, you might think or even dream that this is what sailing or coastal living is all about.  Such a grand, well dressed affair.  I get it - when I first moved to NYC all my friends in Denver and Phoenix were convinced that my life was just like Sex in the City.  Can we picture me as one of the fabulous four women - where would I get the money, the clothes, the shoes, the apartment.  Ok you get the idea.

So let me just burst that little bubble for you right now - that is not a true representation of sailors.  At least not any that I have meet and definitely not how I look when I head out to sail.  While I am only on my third or fourth time out, let me tell you, that all that fancy stuff would just get in the way.  Sailing is hard work - more to come on that - it isn't just a sit back and steer as you drift over the waves.  I am working and moving around A LOT while on board.  So here is my list right now of top accessories for your sailing wardrobe:

• A Hat - And I am not talking one of those straw fedora types that looks so great with your blue and white striped boat shirt.  Or the flimsy wide brimmed one  that you wear on the beach in Mexico to look like the latest model.  I want a hat with a brim to keep off the glare and that fits snugly so it won't blow a way when it gusts.  Andrew has a fabulous clip that attaches to his ball cap to keep it from flying away.  Another advantage of the Hat - it keeps my hair from flying all over and getting in my face.  No amount of barrettes or hair bands could do it better.
• Sunscreen -- always a girl's best friend (or a guys for that matter).  It is a must and I don't think that I really need to go into why.  Although I have learned that I am allergic to something in certain sunblocks so I am looking for one that doesn't irritate my skin.
• Sunglasses -  I don't want to be caught without them and since I am notorious for losing them, there are several pairs on the boat.  Everyone has the pair and type that they prefer but right now any old pair will do.  While sometimes I have a hard time using the binoculars with them on, for the most part they are saving my eyes.
• GLOVES - for me it is a sailing fashion must have.  I know you are thinking so fashionable right? - HA.  I am hauling a lot of lines and that is tough work.  Blisters formed on the first day and I didn't do that much.  So I wear gloves the entire time we are on the boat, helps me to be ready at any time.
  
  The pair I have now were on the boat when we bought it and are nothing special(in fact they are falling apart) but for right now they are working.  I will be looking for new ones for next season.  We will see if I can find some that will go with all my summer outfits. Perhaps some coordinating colors (the sarcasm is really rolling now).  Let's not even talk about the glove tan lines I will be getting.
• Clothing - while I am sure some people could go sailing in anything and be fine, I find it works for me to be wearing older, loose fitting clothing. I get dirty and occasionally things rip.  Like last week when Andrew caught my belt loop with the tiller and ripped a hole in my capris.  So I am not setting any fashion trends on Sonador.  Not that I think you should look like a total hobo, but come on - who is working the lines and hauling sails in their $300 Ralph Lauren outfit?

But thanks to Andrew and some fancy camera app I can look like I am in fashion while sailing.  The black and white probably helps.

Maybe next year's summer line?

First Day Sailing...Never to Forget!

What was my first time sailing like…well it was a day I will never forget.  Truly!  Andrew and I headed out to the boat under grey skies and the chance of rain all afternoon.  We were hopeful that it would change.  We unlocked the boat and started hauling tools, food and supplies into the boat.  Slowly, we put the interior back together.  Clean cushion covers, even if the Tommy Bahama print drives me crazy, are nice.  With all the cushions laid out, we filled some of the lockers with items that would stay and sorted items into bins to head home.  We ate some lunch. And still it rained.  Andrew worked on the batteries and puttered around the cabin.  I worked on the production I would be starting in a couple of weeks.  Just when I was about to give up hope that it would ever stop and suggest we go home…the sun came out.  So with a few hours of daylight, Andrew, like an excited child, started prepping the boat to leave the dock.  I was scrambling around down below trying to secure all the items that were strewn all over the cabin. 

Finally we shoved off from the dock.  All I am going to say is that we will need some practice and some clear signals.  But we can work on that later, we were going sailing!  We motored out and through a canal to get out into the open bay.  We paid close attention to our chart to navigate this area because there were buoys everywhere.  Finally, out in the water we let loose the sails and were off.  I am still not sure of all the technical terms for what I did while we were sailing, but it is not easy work.  I hauled the lines for our genoa (this is a large sail on the front of the mast.  Mainsail is the sail that swings along the back or aft of the mast).  I had to get use to the winches and the give and take to pull the lines.  I also had to remember to lock the lines and that you can still pull the lines when in the lock position.  So much to remember, and daylight was slipping away. Andrew says he was just about to tack (turn) so we could head home when…thud, thud, thud..ud..ud. Stop.  Land Ho!  Not in a good way.  We had run aground.  I started asking Andrew what we should do, my calm crisis demeanor setting in.  People say that I get eerily calm when there is a crisis or emergency.  The calm was coming over me, although some where in the back of my mind I was thinking how I didn’t know enough about sailing to solve or even help our problem.  Andrew was busy hauling in the keel, hoping this would release us from the bottoms hold.  As we peered over the side we both knew that wouldn’t help.  There was about a foot and half of water beneath us and by the looks of it all around us.  Andrew tried our radio, no one was responding.  Come to find out later we could receive, we just couldn’t transmit anything.  No one could hear us.  We flagged down a passing boat, but of course had no way to talk to him.  Which is when Andrew took off his shoes and got in the water.  He stood up and the water didn’t even reach his knees.  He waded over closer to the boat to talk to the gentleman.  I could hear on our radio the gentlemen radio for the coast guard.  Help was on the way!  Andrew came back and proceeded to pull out the anchor chain and see if he could dislodge us from the bottom.  He waded out and pulled and pulled.  Nothing happened.  He came back on board and finally decided it was time to take down the sails.  Which is when I remembered that we had our insurance card and tow information below.  My calm, solve your problem personality was kicking in.  We called and started the process of getting a tow boat out to us.  Andrew started to shiver with the wet clothes, so I made him change out of his wet clothes.  Unfortunately, with all the things that we unloaded from the car, I did not unload the bag of clothing.  So he put on his foul weather gear.  Thank goodness it was already in the boat.  Note to self: Store warm change of clothing on boat for such emergencies.  Finally, the Coast Guard arrived and made sure we were ok.  They are not allowed to tow our boat unless there is distress so they waited until the tow boat arrived.  Our tow captain was nice, patient and worked hard getting us free.  It took awhile to slowly pull us over the sand on the boat, trying to keep the damage to a minimum. It took about 1.5 hours to get us to open water.  By that time is was dark and Andrew and I had no idea where we were.  Not wanting to end up in shallow water again, we asked him to tow us to the marina.  About an hour later, we were back at the marina and pushing into the dock.  The tow captain came aboard.  One of the nicest guys!  He took out our chart and showed us all the trouble spots in the bay and then the best places to take a sailboat.  He had once owned a Catalina 25, so there was a nice camaraderie going there.  He was nice enough to even save us a little bit of money.  I wish that we had a better way to thank him.  He was truly a life saver that night and helped calm our fears about heading back out.  He even told a couple of stories about running aground himself which helped make us feel better.  We will be paying closer attention to all the charts and buoys in the bay now.  Lesson Learned. 

After all that we still had to take down the sails and store them, clean and put everything away and load the car.  It was a late trek back home after an exhausting day.  But it is a day I will never forget.  Not only did I enjoy the sailing (the “before” ) but I also had my first lesson to learn.  I am just so glad that we made a binder with all our important paperwork in it and brought it to the boat.  So now I not only have to learn how to sail but what to do in emergency situations. 

Seashell Whispers

When I was a child my mother had a several sea shells decorating one of the coffee tables in our formal living room.  We were not suppose to play in there, so of course, we did.  We were not suppose to pick up the sea shells (they were spiny and fragile), so of course we did.  Mostly what I wanted was to listen for the sounds of the ocean in the shell.  I don't know where I learned this.  We were living in Colorado at the time and you don't get more land locked then that.  Nevertheless, I would walk into that room, pick up the shell and put it to my ear.  Straining to hear the sounds of the ocean.  Of course, I thought I could hear the ocean, even if I didn't really know what the ocean would sound like.  What I remember hearing was peace, that hollow, vacuum sound of nothing.  That was the sea, and it was calling to me.

I have been to the ocean many times in my life, although I don't think that I could ever get enough of it.  The warmth, the feel of the sand and the sound of water.  It can be waves, or running streams, or lapping water hitting something.  It all brings me a sense of tranquility.  When Andrew started talking more and more about sailing, I thought "sure why not?  I like being on the water."   I had no idea that this talk of a sailboat would become a reality sooner then later.   But I decided that I had better start educating myself on the world of sailing.  I picked up some of the sailing magazines that were lying around his dad's house.  I read several articles while we were there, picking up small tidbits here and there.  Then I picked up the book, Sailing Serrafyn.  That is when the call of the sea really began.  That book of adventures on the sea and far off places caught me.  I started looking up other blogs about people who were out sailing the world and having adventures of their own.   As the spring is warming up and summer is looming, I prepare to step on the boat and learn.  I have a tough summer ahead, full of boating terms,  how to be a good first mate and finding the balance of sea legs.  I am excited, and a bit scared.  Every time I see the blue sky and question whether or not I need the heavy coat I start to think of days spent on the water, feeling the wind, and enjoying the peace of the ocean. I am being pulled closer and closer.  

People ask me why I want to suddenly learn to sail.  The first reason is easy, I love Andrew and he loves to sail.  I want to share something that is special to him, and hopefully find that we can do this together. But beyond that, the more I read and learn, I want to be out there, riding the waves and feeling the thrill of the wind as it picks up the sails.  It is a way for me to gain the freedom that I have always wanted but did not think that I would be able to find.  I would like to find myself one day on a beach that is foreign to me and pick up a sea shell and place it to my ear and hear something that is familiar and loved.  I want to hear the sound of something that sounds like "home"

Getting Closer to Launch Day

Andrew and I had the same day off.  Miracle, I know.  Did we spend it doing something relaxing and fun?  Well that depends on who you ask.  Andrew would say while it wasn't relaxing, working on the boat is always fun.  I would disagree.  Not to mention the fact that we didn't even really spend the afternoon together.  I was on the deck of the boat and he was nine feet below me, working on the bottom of the boat.  But Sonador is closer to being ready to launch.

I spent the afternoon with a handy copper wire brush, an old t-shirt and these two guys:

Last fall, Andrew removed all the deck hardware in order to clean and reseal against leaks.  Following the general ideas outline in Boat U.S. magazine (found here: http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/April/rebed-deck-fittings-correctly.asp)  I was removing all the adhesive and old sealant.  So goes the monotonous labor of mineral spirits to t-shirt to deck, soak it good, scrub a bit with the brush, repeat until clean.  Then rub with the xylene to get off the last bits of gunk.  Fun right?  I thought you would agree with me.  Cleaning tiny holes like this:

I am not complaining, the alternative was under the boat in the gravel painting the bottom with anti-fouling paint.  Yuck.  Task completed - it wasn't too bad since the sun was shining and I convinced Andrew to undo the cover enough for me to see the sky.  Once they were all clean, Andrew drilled the holes slightly larger.

Can you see how dirty his pants are, hence the reason I didn't want to paint the bottom.  I had to get into the cabin and tape up all the holes from the bottom (we don't want the epoxy to go all over below).  Me and the Duct Tape.  Fast friends.

Finally it was time to add the epoxy...uh oh.  That is when Andrew realized that he had forgot to bring the caulking gun.  [Inject several choice words here]  Well that will have to wait until next time.  But the green bottom paint looks great.

Fantasy vs. Reality

The wind in my face as it brushes past the sails.  The sun is warm and the ocean below is turquoise and clear.  There is land in the distance, but mostly I am surrounded by water.  Relaxed and calm.  This is me suspended in my fantasy life aboard a sailing vessel.  I follow several blogs about others living this life and I am charmed.  Mesmerized.

And then the screeching halt into REALITY.  First, there is the learning.  I am slowly working through Sailing for Dummies.  I realize just how much there is too learn.  The terminology, the procedures, weather, navigation, etc.  There is nothing romantic about a boatyard in winter.   Our boat sits in a cradle, covered in a homemade cover.  Andrew is constantly driving out to see if the storms had blown it off.  It feels grey and lonely, with the only real sounds being the clanging of the lines hitting the mast on all the boats that are also in storage.  

Andrew really wants me to be excited.  But, as of yet it is hard to see the beauty of sailing.  As for the grey, lonely boatyard, Andrew and I looked and discussed many options for a boat slip.  He is the no frills kind of guy.  No amenties needed as long as he is in the water.  Me - I need a shower, bathroom, possibly club house.  It is these comforts that will make it possible for me to stay comfortably on the boat for a weekend.  After searching, we decided to stay where the boat was stored when we bought it.  

So now I may need to come to terms with my dreams and the reality that I am facing.  But as the sun starts to warm up I am ready to start working towards that dream.

A Halyard is A Halyard...DUH!

The other day Andrew and I were having dinner at a local place and discussing the usual - The Boat.  The discussion revolved around things that were in need of repair or needed to be replaced before the start of the season.  Me and the organizational lists, I NEED them.  Andrew starts to tell me that eventually the halyard would need to be replaced.  Alarm bells go off in my head, "Halyard?"  

So, I prepare for the uphill climb of learning a new term and I pose the question: "What is a halyard?" His simple reply, "A halyard is a halyard."   The words just sort of echoed around in my head.  I am pretty sure that my eyes were bugging out and my mouth might have been agape. (Please note: Andrew swears that this is not what he said, that this is what I thought he said)  Does he really expect me to magically understand what he means?  "Why yes my dear, that makes perfect sense.  Of course a halyard is a halyard" I think about retorting. Instead I try asking again, "Can you explain it in landlubber terms?" And so begins the downward spiral faster and faster, picking up speed at an alarming rate.   Terms are flying off his tongue, "lines", "mainsail", "jib".  He even starts looking for paper and pencil to draw a diagram and my head is still making sense of the first five words he spoke.  I try to simplify it for me, to get the very basics.  I clarify, "So it's a rope that helps pull up the mainsail?"  If I thought the tempest would stop swirling I was SO wrong.  The maelstrom began instead.

"No it is not a rope." He replies.  Now I am really confused.   Andrew being the old-fashioned, use the right terms, love of all things boat type sailor has to use all the correct terminology.  The correct terminology on a boat is that it is not a "rope" it is a "line" because there are "no ropes on boats, only lines".  This makes my crazy and that makes me stubborn. And the winds swirls and the storm of misunderstanding continues...

How did this whole discussion end up - with me requesting the book "Sailing for Dummies"  I figure that I need to go down to the basic level.  I need to learn from the ground up and from someone that isn't trying to use all the correct terminology to describe what I already don't understand.  What did Andrew come home with the very next day - the book I asked for.  [Sometimes he is very smart.]  And for right now the storm has subsided.  I don't think that this is the last fight we will have over "sailor speak" and the perfectionist of being a sailor, but at least for now I have something to read and reference with my questions.  We will have to see how it turns out.

And I promise there will be more on what exactly a halyard is.


Halyard - (definition from Wikipedia)  In sailing, a halyard or halliard is a line (rope) that is used to hoist a sail, a flag or a yard. The term halyard comes from the phrase, 'to haul yards'.

The Call of the Sea - Runs in the Family

Dad and I in front of the boat San Diego

My father loves water - rivers, lakes, oceans.  I think that he feels a great calm, along with the crazy enjoyment, anytime he is near the water.  He is simply drawn to it.  His voice changes when he talks about his time on the water.  There are so many old photographs of him on a boat, or with a fish he had caught ( he loved deep sea fishing, forget the small fish and bring on the swordfish).  When I was born we lived on a boat (OK, it was a yacht) until I almost went overboard and we moved to a house (I am sure at my mother's insistence).    Since then we have lived in land locked areas, the Midwest - it really doesn't get more land locked then that.  But my dad always finds the water.  Fish out of water.   His parents had a cabin on the river in Wyoming, where we would tube down the river in the day and sit by the water at night.  But some of my fondest memories were at Lake Pomme de Terre in the Ozarks.  Yes I know that it means Potato Lake which seems like a complete oxymoron, but hey it was a great time.  My best friend's family had been going to the lake for years.  They had a camper and a boat there.  Soon after we were parking our camper there and racing around on the boat too.  My dad loved driving us out and pulling us on tubes or skis.  At night he would sit outside and enjoy the sounds of water, wind and peace.  Now much older and looking for a way to escape the brutal heat of Phoenix in the summer,  he bought a boat and lived on it during the summers in San Diego.  His own escape, sitting out there in the ocean breeze.  I think that he only took it out a couple of times for an actual trip around the bay.  He developed friends and a social circle that he loved.  We all worried about him going out there - but who could stop him when he was so happy.  

He finally had to sell the boat. I know he misses it every summer.  It was a real joy to tell him that we bought a sailboat.  Of course, I don't think he knows how to sail and I sure don't.  But that is besides the point, the call of the water runs through me as well.  Something I think that I got from my dad.  And I hope that he will get a little joy out of my ridiculous journey as I learn how to be a sailor.(well he would if I could teach him how to get to this blog)  I hope that he is proud of me for answering the call of the water. 

My sister and I enjoying the sun and water

Sonador...door to wanderlust

We bought a boat!  Did I mention that to everyone I know?  Not quite, as many of my friends will tell you.  Well technically Andrew bought the boat.  But seriously, that is a trivial detail.  Her name currently is Sonador, which in Spanish means "dreamy".  At first, I hated the name.  Mainly because I couldn't pronounce it ( I know ridiculous reason).  After thinking about it, "dreamy" is just the way to begin my own sailing adventure.  In October, Andrew found the boat listed online in a marina about an hour away.  After going to see it, he couldn't contain the excitement.   He kept talking about it.  Then Hurricane Sandy hit.  There was so much devastation in that area, we were afraid that the boat might have been severely damaged.  We both drove down to look - my first time.  She was in one piece and still solid.  We bought her.  In a Wegmans' (grocery store) cafe he  signed all the papers -and BOOM - we own a 25 foot Catalina.  Crazy!  But exciting.  Now comes the real test - Will I like sailing?  

Does it seems weird that we bought a boat and I don't even know how to sail?  I could possibly be seasick at every turn. So why are we doing this I ask myself all the time.  The answer is:  We are following a dream.    Andrew can barely contain himself, he started work on the boat immediately.  He took down the mast and sails, unloaded everything from the inside.  There are open containers in our basement and more sails and cushions at his work.  Eventually I am going to have to put some organization into all of this but I am letting it go for now.  I couldn't even tell you what is in those boxes and what they are used for.  But one day I hope to understand.  I am definitely willing to learn about all of this.  Lots of studying for me and hopefully i will learn by osmosis.

Andrew and I at the Annapolis Boat Show 2012

The other thing that has me slowly falling in love with the idea of sailing is all the articles and books that I am reading on "cruising."  This wonderful idea of leaving behind all the chaos of living and working for the peace of the sea and the excitement of exploring new places.  Don't get me wrong there is lots of work and labor involved in keeping up with the needs of the boat, but there is something to be said for exploring the world.  Now if that doesn't sound like a "dreamy" existence I don't know what does.  So we begin...and I learn to sail.  What is windward anyway?


Definition of WINDWARD:  Toward the wind, into the wind.