What do you do all day on a boat? Part 1 Mornings, power and water

Most of our friends know that J and I bought a catamaran in the Caribbean last fall. We had been working on it for a while since J thought that Florida was not far enough South for our escape from Michigan winters. We had a few false starts - maybe those stories will be a future blog. But we journeyed to St. Maarten in October 2019 for a sea test and a few weeks later, she was ours. She was stored on land there until we could return to sail her under her new name, Better Together. 

There are a lot of stories about our adventures getting her launched, handling the many issues that came up as we got to know her. Our early sailing adventures could fill many future blogs, but this one is intended to start to answer the most common question many people have: What do you do all day on a boat? 

Even before the current worldwide focus on staying put, life on a boat is about flexibility and living in the moment. You can make plans, but then you realize you are almost out of water, or the power is getting low or the anchor alarm goes off in the middle of the night, and you respond NOW - as a couple of our guests found out when the anchor slipped at 2 a.m. and we all got up to find another spot in the moonlit, crowded anchorage.

Most of the pressure in a crisis or "daily challenge", as I prefer to think of it, or falls on J since he understands all of these complicated electrical, plumbing, navigational and mechanical systems. He constantly amazes me by figuring things out and finding solutions, usually after lots of contemplating, sweating and crawling into small spaces. We are very grateful for all the parts the previous owners left us stocked with, stored literally in dozens of spaces. I have rummaged through all the lockers and tool boxes, not having any idea what these things are. But when J shows me a thingamabob, and says "I need one of these," I often remember just where to look. At least by the third or fourth try. 


Daily Ritual

Let's start with a "normal" day, waking up with the sun, as we usually do, anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. J's favorite daily ritual is making us both a cup of cappuccino on the propane stove. He brought a copper stove top coffee maker from home and we found wonderful boxed milk that you can buy by the case and only refrigerate after opening. It turns to wonderful foamy milk from the steam on the coffee maker.  A very nice accompaniment as I read my newspaper online and eat my wheat-free breakfast cookies. 

The cookies are a recent addition. I make them at home, but finding almond flour, unsweetened coconut flakes, etc. was a challenge on the island. The oven on Better Together (BT) has no thermometer, so we have not tried it yet. But when we returned to St. Croix and had access to our condo which was not rented yet, I made a batch and took it there.  I used brown rice flour and extra raisins and nuts to replace the coconut flakes I could not find and made them in the microwave, not trusting the very old microwave/convection oven there. Since then, I found almond flour here, and ordered coconut from Walmart. My food allergies are happy.

During the early hours, J works on his memoir about his music career, writing 1000 words or more per day. I read the newspaper, do a yoga session if the boat is not moving too much, and sometimes eat cereal or eggs. 

Power Management


One of the first things we do in the mornings, even before the coffee ritual, is check the batteries. The ship is outfitted with solar panels and a wind generator that handle most of our needs on an ongoing basis. That works great to run the large and small refrigerators, lights and plugs for charging phones, tablets and computers. As long as the sun shines and the wind blows. Calm nights are a challenge, so J often starts the engines last thing at night and first thing in the morning, just to be sure.

When we first arrived, he spent a lot of time understanding the battery connections of the two engine-starting batteries and the three "house" batteries that run everything else. He knows a lot about them all, having replaced the regulator on the wind system, so the power now goes to the batteries (before it was shorted out), and installing a new alternator on one engine so it charges when running. He keeps a close eye on everything, as this system is crucial to our ability to stay on the water on a mooring or anchorage. 

Water Management

The other feature that allows us to be mostly independent is the large water tank system. About once every two weeks or so, we go to the fuel dock at the marina and add around 150 gallons of water to the two large tanks through a filter on our hose. Additional filters under the sink provide us with the abundant drinking water we need to stay hydrated in this warm climate. The galley sink, the sinks in the two heads and the hose on the aft steps where you rinse off salt water after swimming use this same water supply. Part of J's regular routine is checking the tank levels and maintaining the pumps. There is also a salt water system cooling the two engines that he reviews regularly. Good thing he has so much plumbing experience! 

J's next big project will be installing the hot water tank he recently acquired from the marina. The boat used to have one, but it had been removed. He is happy jumping in the ocean for a bath, and I have accepted sponge baths and outside hair washing, but I miss hot showers and warm water for dish washing. I tried one of those camping shower bags you heat in the sun and then hang from a tree, but when you put 5 gallons of water in it, it weighs 40 pounds and I cannot manage it. We have halyards on the boat that could handle it, but not near the aft stairs where I need it. 

Tank Management

Another regular task we work into our schedule is managing the waste from our heads. As we tell guests, nothing goes into the system that did not go through your body. But unlike Lake Erie, where we go to the dock to pump out the tanks, here you go out three miles into deep water to make fish food out of waste. Every week or ten days, if we are alone, or more often with guests, we have to find a weather window to sail out and back safely. Some days are more comfortable than others and we can turn it into a pleasure sail or handle this task while traveling to another location. Sometimes, if the wind and waves are very challenging, I am happy to get out and back quickly. J loves every chance to sail BT and we do learn more every time we sail.

You can probably tell already that our days are never the same and never dull. More next time about mundane jobs like provisioning, cooking and J's favorite, dinghy management!

Life's Ups and Downs

So much has happened in the two weeks since I last posted. It feels as if the world  has grown smaller. More people have realized we are all in this together and are staying home for the good of all. It is not easy. Lonely people are struggling. Outgoing types, like my J, are totally out of their element. But we are finding ways around it.

We have limited phone service on the boat, but we thought it would work to go Live on Facebook, and we set up equipment on a Sunday afternoon and gave it a shot. No dice. So we packed everything up, drove over to the condo, (still practicing social distancing) and tried again on the WiFi there. It was a great time for me and people kept trying to find it, but no one got in. For whatever reason, Facebook taped it and put it out afterwards. J was so frustrated not to have the level of interaction he wanted, so he deleted it all. He misses people and live performing more than anyone I know.

But you cannot keep J down long. We sailed out to deep water to clear our tanks (No pumps out here), and J suggested we sail to Frederiksted,  the second city on St. Croix. The weather was good and we had never seen it from the water. We were delighted to find a lovely anchorage with seven other boats and a beautiful shoreline. After being moored right next to the Christiansted boardwalk, it was a nice contrast.

We set the anchor and relaxed for the unobstructed view of the sunset on this west shoreline. With less light from the island, the stars were very visible - and I discovered the Southern Cross can be seen at midnight instead of 5 a.m. as it is in December and January. 

This location was so nice that we stayed two more nights. I donned my spring suit or short wet suit and did some snorkeling. The water by the boat is 15 feet deep and the current strong enough that I did not want to get too far away. At first, I saw nothing in the scattered vegetation on the sandy bottom. But I waited, and soon saw the movement of the fish feeding below. Just as I was taking a break, I caught a glimpse of a White-Spotted Eagle Ray nearby (photo from Wikipedia)! It was beautiful and graceful but moving too fast for me to follow.

After my break, I jumped back in to find a Southern Stingray on the sand immediately behind the boat accompanied by a dark fish who stayed with him as well as a small group of Yellowtail Snappers.  They stayed close and it seemed the ray kept turning to check me out as I tried to stay behind him so I would not scare him away.

J spent all this time singing and playing guitar. If you know J, you know he is a perfectionist. He has not been singing regularly on our trip and has been having some vocal issues. You would also know that he loves cappuccino and drinks it every morning.  So I took it very seriously when he decided to skip his morning coffee and see if it helped his voice. He even skipped his Sailor Jerry rum last night, so you know he is determined! To test the theory,  he has been singing st all hours of the day. Good news is the abstinence seems to be working and he sounds great. One day he spent some time sitting at the helm recording Son of a Sailor which he has since posted on his Facebook page. He is planning to go Live again this week at the home of friends who have faster internet. I have my fingers crossed it will work this time!

Meanwhile, I had a very emotional time. My daughter delivered a healthy 10 pound son after more than twenty-four hours in labor. We were delighted to welcome young Anthony Curtis! The next day we discovered that her best friend's husband of four months lost his battle with cancer the same day, a tragedy to all who knew him.

Erik, a friend from home went through a very scary time with COVID-19.  He is recovering and the story he wrote is being shared all over Facebook. I hope it helps others understand.

Myself - I burst into tears at the thought of  all of these events. So much emotion, not my usual reaction, but these are not usual times.

Life goes on. Let's Stay Home but stay in touch. Be kind to each other. Reach out to someone who might not be one to reach out when they need it. Together we can survive this. Peace.

Better Together in 2020

I always mean to get back to my blog. My husband, J, says we live fast and our friends seem to enjoy hearing about our exploits. But there never seems to be enough time or I am not feeling clever or creative.

Well, I am not feeling clever or creative, but suddenly, I find myself with lots of time. Just like most of the rest of the people I know and love. None of us dreamed there would be a pandemic, but here it is and we are all doing our part. 

At first, it all seemed very remote for us. We left on December 30th to pick up our new (previously-owned) catamaran in St. Maarten and spend five months cruising the Caribbean. We named her Better Together (BT) after the Jack Johnson song that J first sang to me 10 years ago, and which his grandson Gabe sang at our wedding almost eight years ago. The perfect name which we proudly put on the steps before we launched her.

This boat is bigger than our monohull in Lake Erie with many features than are new to us, like solar panels, dual engines and a wind generator. I investigated storage spaces, cleaning out and organizing while J figured out how to manage and fine tune the batteries, the water supply, the engine alarms and the sails! I did help with figuring out some things like the windlass for the anchor only runs when the port engine is on.  Thank goodness for Google searches!

J practiced docking this big vessel while I got better at leaping a two-foot gap to get on the dock and tie us up. Sometimes it is three or four feet and he has to do it himself. I am learning to tie on the dock lines and the fenders which are bigger and heavier than the ones at home. And to attach the hose and filter before filling our water tanks. 

We team up on raising and lowering the dinghy that in constant use to get to shore. At first, I had trouble getting in and out, but now I manage well, although my knees are dented from kneeling on hard docks. We pass our cargo back and forth, the groceries or laundry or whatever we are moving today. And I keep a big sponge in the dinghy that I use to bail the small amount of water that is always there, from rain or a slow leak that sneaks in now and then.

We came to St. Croix the first week - a long but calm 15-hour trip and we had dolphins all around us for a while! We have a rental condo and car and had stored our snorkeling equipment here. Our first visitors arrived in January and we enjoyed showing them the island and going on day sails.

Afterwards, the weather was not very conducive for starting our journey to the Leeward and Windward Islands, so we stayed  working on boat and upgrading the condo until early March.

More friends arrived and we sailed to the British Virgin Islands. They fit right in on Willy T's and at Pirate's Bight!

The weather was still a little rough with ocean swells, so we stayed in the BVI until they had to fly home. Then J and I sailed to St. Maarten. It was a long day, only 8 hours from Virgin Gorda. No dolphins this time, but we spotted whales!

The next morning, we listened to Cruisenet for the first time. A local guy gets all the folks on boats on the VHF radio to share info, announce classes and social events, sell extra stuff, etc. Everything sounded fine. Then we went to check in with Immigration and the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority. Again, no problem.

We had been waiting to get back here to buy parts and things for the boat that are not readily available where we had been. We needed to find a business center to print some documents we needed to sign and send home. And we stopped for lunch at our favorite waterfront restaurant. 

We went back to the anchored boat. We had been following the story about the COVID-19 virus, but it was in China and Korea and Italy and on a cruise ship, but not anywhere near us. Or the U.S., where my daughter is expecting her first child any day. Where I expected to fly when I got the word and then return to finish our trip to Grenada. 

The next morning, as I drank my coffee and read news on my tablet, I realized that things had professed much further than I could imagine. Islands were restricting travel. Cruisenet announced that the French side of St. Martin was closing,  the Dutch side might follow soon. They suggested we all get in groceries for a week or two and prepare to stay put on our boats. 

We went to shore. Things were not restricted yet. Bought lots of groceries. And discussed what to do. We decided we needed to return to the U.S. territory of St, Croix where we have more resources and options. 

We got up and left at 5 a.m. for another 15 hour day. The wind was directly behind us, so we had to motor sail all day. We did see one small dolphin who drifted away quickly. I am more used to the waves and swells now, thanks to a crazy day in the BVI where the waves towered over us, and BT (the boat) took it in stride. We sailed into the familiar harbor after dark, only to drop anchor three times before finding a clear space among the many boats where there used to be a handful. 

So, here we are, practicing social distancing with the rest of the world, in limbo, in paradise. No idea when we will be able to get where we need to store the boat or what options we will have. Just trusting we will all get through this together.

2017 Update - I Know, It's About Time

Reading over the last two blogs, it is hard to believe it has been several years since I wrote one. So much in life has changed.


The amazing band that my husband J had with his grandsons kept us busy, playing local shows and traveling to Mackinac Island, Put-in-Bay, OH, Grand Rapids and lots of other places. They opened for Bret Michael, Guess Who and Starship at the Traverse City Music Festival. We traveled by car and ferry with all the equipment. At first they needed me as an extra driver. As they grew up, the young men could help drive so I stayed home at times. And then last fall, they decided to stop playing together.

My mother lost her battle with cancer. My two feline companions left me after 18 and 19 years. I worked at the Costume Shop, I sang for Hospice patients until I decided to take a break. (I could not leave a patient so I stayed with Carol. She  was 94, how long could it be? Now she is going strong at 96.)  I am trying to figure how to deal with osteoporosis without drugs. My husband had cancer surgery and is still recovering from side effects of the successful surgery.

We have had two amazing vacations, among our many adventures, My bucket list item was to return to the Grenadines where I had enjoyed an amazing day sailing and snorkeling while on a cruise for my parents' 40th Anniversary.

In 2015, we booked an Island Windjammer cruise out of Grenada and enjoyed an amazing time sailing there and in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. With twelve passengers and 6 crew, it was a memorable experience. We sailed to the most beautiful beaches I have seen, snorkeled with turtles, hiked around islands, visited Happy Island at sunset, shared stories with fellow passengers and made some wonderful new friends.

Last year, Jerry decided we should try bareboat sailing in the British Virgin Islands and added a great visit to friends living in St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Island) on the front end. Most people go for a week, but we were delighted to be there for over two weeks. J , did most of the cooking including making fresh bread, and enjoyed the local rum.

J was still getting over his recent surgery so we were delighted to find a popular drink in the British Virgin Islands called a Painkiller. Of course, we had to 'take' one every chance we got. He was also very proud that his guesstimates on how much food and water came out almost perfect - we had just half a bottle of drinking water to use up the last day.







This year, J had the opportunity to visit Cuba with a train-enthusiast friend  who wanted to document the trains there before they are replaced with modern equipment. They set an itinerary to photograph and take video of as many trains as they could in ten days.




J was fascinated by the many musicians and various kinds of music he saw and heard on that trip,  and we decided to go back this summer to study the music.

There were bands everywhere we went, such as the many strolling musicians on the Malecon in Havana where we found a huge crowd on Wednesday night.

J found musicians in neighborhood bars. They were delighted we knew many songs and encouraged him to sing and play with them

There were bands every day at this beach resort in Varadero. Not a bad place to hang out and study the music scene.

We found these guys in a restaurant in a much smaller town, Santa Clara. J talked to them, bought their CD to study further and even played in. 

We usually travel with a guitar, so we entertained the hosts at the casa particulars (B&B's) where we stayed. Even though they did not all speak English well enough to understand the words, they kept time and hummed along, and one ninety-year old grandmother sang a love song for us. Music is truly a universal language.

So that brings you up to date, generally speaking. I hope to be back soon with more on the trips and maybe some more serious topics.

What a difference a few years makes ...Cleaning House!

In 2009, I was "involuntarily retired" from my job at the large Fortune 500 company where I had been employed very happily for 32 years, since a week after I graduated college. Having made it through many resource actions, as they liked to call them, in the past, this decision came as a complete surprise to me.

Since I had worked part time in my professional role for over 14 years, and had a customer whose long term contract covered all of my hours, I had no warning. Unfortunately, it was during the period when many large companies in Michigan, particularly large banks and automobile companies who were our main customers, were in danger of going bankrupt. So I got the call.

My first reaction was disbelief, then relief that I no longer had to commute for an hour and a half two or three times a week through good weather and bad to visit my clients. I was however, very sad that I would no longer be visiting the individuals and providing the services and information they needed. Many clients had become friends and I would probably never see them again. Meetings and conference calls, however, I could live without.

So I quietly read my separation agreement, the retirement materials, and tried to get my head around the new changes. This announcement came about 8 months after my divorce. And eighteen months after my Dad's cancer and removal of one lung. I had moved twice and was just about to drop off the 'high end' of the stress-level chart, but no, here came another stressful major life event.

I waited while they sent my case to an actuary to calculate my retirement before the payments would start. Glad I had a cash settlement deposited safely in the bank. Took three or four months.

Funny, I am a math major, and I know I like dealing with numbers more than most folks, but part time folks must use 60% of their full time salary equivalent  for the retirement calculation. I was working 60% of a 40 hour week, or 24 hours. Seemed to be obvious to me what number to use, but I waited.

Then they said they had to sent it out to an actuary AGAIN to calculate what amount I had to share with my ex-husband as part of the divorce decree. Even though we had a court-approved QDRO stating the percentage. No problem. I waited.

I did finally get the report, and after failing to find gainful employment comparable to my previous job with reasonable income and available part time so I could continue the other activities with which I had filled my life for all these years, I did successfully retire and begin receiving monthly payments. Health care is another story which could fill lots of blogs. Let's just say I went private this year since the funding intended to bridge me to Medicare is not going to stretch anywhere near that still faraway time.

With all this waiting, you would think I would have had plenty of time to clean out my desk, my files and get rid of all the stuff I had accumulated in my long career. Somehow it just did not happen.

I did move my desk upstairs since I was not going to be spending hours creating reports, reading emails, responding to customer requests and sitting through long conference calls. And I moved things around in the file cabinets on each floor so the things I used daily were close at hand. It worked well for several years.

Now fast forward to 2014. I have become very involved on the Board of Directors of the local theatre where I love to perform. For a year, I managed the web site, for several years I have been writing grants (successfully) for them. I helped develop and implement our social media presence. And this year, I have been helping manage and develop a business plan and social media updates for the Costume Shop we took over from a partner theatre, which serves arts organizations, schools and the public across the region. I still perform, sell tickets, usher and handle other duties as assigned.

In my spare time, I practice guitar and learn songs to sing for my Hospice patients. I usually visit once a week, and sing at memorials and occasional religious services.

All this brings me to my decision this weekend to move my desk back downstairs where I would have more space to spread things out, a better chance of sitting up straight, and a view of the wetland behind the house.

The first problem is that since I quit working, many things have changed in my life. (I know, more stress! But the good kind.) I reconnected with an old acquaintance, fell in love, bought a sailboat together, and got married. See my older blogs for the stories. Although we each still own a home, we spend most of our time at my place since I have two geriatric cats, subjects of more of my blogs.

J is a musician,  and to make him feel at home, as well as out of necessity during a brief period when he rented his house to a family of friends, I turned over my old office to him as a music room and office. That room is not now available.

I do have two other bedrooms besides the one we use, but my kids stay there when they come home and they are not large enough for a good workspace.

So I decided upon the large family room downstairs. It is a pretty large room, but it has doors to the room housing the cat litter, a bedroom, the downstairs bathroom, the unfinished basement space, the music room / office and sliding glass doors to the backyard. All this provides some challenges in keeping access to all of the above and a place to walk through the middle.

Additionally, the furniture I chose for this large room includes a large sofa and an armchair that is almost a small love seat, a small wrought iron table and chairs that will go outside if it ever warms up enough, a five-foot cat climber and several odd tables positioned to discourage the cats from using their claws on the upholstery. The first few years here, a verbal warning kept them at bay, but since J arrived, they do not get as much of my attention and react as you would expect.

But I was ready for the challenge. Friday night, I started by shoving around the existing pieces. When J got home from singing in Royal Oak, I showed him my plan and got his commitment to help me carry the heavy stuff down next chance we got.

Today was it. He was busy recording drum tracks for his performances, but took time to help. First we got the desk, then the small two-drawer file cabinet. The TV stand makes a great credenza on one side since we do not have TV service any more.

After that, I held my breath and moved the DSL service down. I was fully expecting to have to enter passwords or codes or something to get it running in the new location, but other than telling me that J's computer was non-trusted, it was easy.

J was happy to move my two-drawer lateral file out of "his" room, but it was very heavy so we emptied all of the file folders out so it was manageable. When I went to reload them, I was hit with the reality that I needed to get rid of my old work files.

At first I thought it would be hard. I could not have purged these files five years ago. It would have been too painful. Reluctantly, I started going through all the folders.

I did keep a few folders of pictures and personal inspirational papers. But when I got to the files about my bonuses, performance plans and evaluations, and things I had collected to document how the company operated, I stopped and reflected for a minute. There was no information in most of these files that I would ever need again. The Social Security Administration has all the information it needs to calculate my future payments. Most of the people I worked with and managed have left the area and I will never see them again. In the end, I pitched a huge stack of papers over two feet deep.

All those years, all those wonderful talented and fun people I met and worked with, and all of the expertise I had and valuable information I collected. Now no one cares about the paperwork. Even me.

What I care about is the memories and I will always have those. As well as an abundant supply of folders, hanging files and paper clips. Old habits die hard. Can't waste supplies.

I have moved on. Life is better than ever. Who could have predicted this? Certainly not me. Guess I will never stop learning. And moving on to new adventures. With J.

Yes, it was quite a day.

Life in the fast lane, acting as a reflection of reality

When I started the blog, I thought I would write regularly. My husband J was performing frequently at night which gave me lots of time to kill. I was on the computer anyway, for my volunteer activities, and maintaining his web site, so it seemed natural.

But life has fooled me again. During the summer, we go sailing, and the last thing I want to do is look at a computer screen instead of the water, the sky and nature around me. And life got a whole lot busier last year, when J decided to officially release the CD he finished in 2012. That was the year I proposed, which sidetracked things while we planned a wedding and enjoyed newlywed bliss (which we are still enjoying, just not exclusively.)

In 2013, he decided to form a band, book a concert (the first real concert of his career, in a concert venue, not a bar or restaurant) and get serious about being a singer/songwriter instead of a cover artist. He found the musicians, including three grandsons, who are wonderfully talented, but somewhat inexperienced, and an old friend, who thankfully could figure out the keyboard parts by ear since there was no written music for most of the songs. He talked to everyone he knew about strategy and the best way to proceed. Eventually, he booked the band at the Ark in Ann Arbor in January 2014, hired a publicist and a social media advisor, and set up an aggressive rehearsal schedule to teach the boys all of the new music.

I was supportive in any way I could be, including suggesting he start a kickstarter campaign to "crowd-fund" the videotaping he wanted to do of the concert. That way he would get his DVD to spotlight the band without going into too much debt. We did succeed on that, but with lots of effort, which could be an entire blog by itself. Managing the Kickstarter "rewards" was my job.

All of this work, on top of the maintaining and managing the rental houses he has acquired as a retirement strategy meant that J had to give up some of his cover gigs. We get to spend more evenings together, but we are often working on two computer in adjoining rooms. As the concert got closer, J and I had to develop press kits, posters and other promotional items. We decided to rent a bus to get some of the Lansing area fans to Ann Arbor and that took some coordinating.

Everything went amazingly well, the concert was outstanding. Imagine performing in an intimate 400-seat venue for 200 fans (on a snowy, cold January Tuesday night) who all love and admire you already. And killing it. They were great! Each musician had a featured moment. One of J's sons was able to attend, and joined the band on stage to play a bongo for a song. (His Dad and older son were unable to get out of their scheduled musical gigs and could not come.)

It was definitely a rock star moment. J was surprised, though I do not know why, that they received a standing ovation and did two encores. Then we got to spend time with the audience.  Unload all of the equipment, drive back to East Lansing where a party was already in progress at J's house (Thanks, Jeanne and Lisa!) All in all, a magical, wonderful, unforgettable night.

So you would think, after this is all over, life would go back to 'normal,' whatever that is.

But last summer, before all this fell into place, I was asked to perform in a Black Box production at the theatre where I am a Board member and volunteer. J and I talked about it and decided I should go for it, It is a great script - "Free Man of Color" by Charles Smith, a dramatic story of a freed slave who attended Ohio University in the 1820s, years before the Civil War.

But what was I thinking? Three characters in a two hour play. I have a million lines to memorize! I have had the script since last summer and I started reading it and thinking about it in the fall. We started rehearsals in January - three weeks before the concert. And the show opens three weeks from tomorrow.

No doubt it will all come together. I am getting comfortable with Act I. My biggest emotional scene is in Act II and I am still struggling with that. We took the publicity pictures this week. We found costumes (in The Costume Shop where I serve as Marketing Manager and volunteer). The program is almost done. Things are coming along.

What I did not count on is the emotional toll that this heavy drama would take on my mind and body. This role is not the first one I have done where I have to be angry, sad, frustrated, and sarcastic at various times. I certainly have enough experience in my life to relate to the part, although thank God I have not had the challenges that this woman has had. But I am usually a very positive person, so two hours of this a night is wrenching!

At night, I am suffering stomachaches, headaches, muscle aches and other stress-produced symptoms. Doing this part brings back the times in my life where I seethed inside because I felt out of control, unable to take charge of my own life. And it comes out physically.

Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband to support me, although it is amusing - he is not used to being the one at home "waiting" and is having to find ways to stay busy when he is not working now. I also get to work out my muscles playing on my tennis team and visiting my wonderful massage therapist,  Emma.

So, things will continue to be fast and crazy for at least another month. J and the band have a concert this weekend in East Lansing and are getting more calls all the time to perform.

Since I could not sleep, I have taken the time to write. It would be a shame not to document the adventures with which I have been blessed. Now back to learning my lines ... at least I can let my natural Southern voice come through!

Last one in is a ... FINALLY got to swim in Lake Erie!

What a strange summer it has been for weather, in my part of the world anyway. We started out a little cool but I was being patient. When it got hot, it was very hot - but we were not at the boat. 

Every time we got to the boat, it seemed there was a 40% chance of precipitation threatening us. Doesn't sound so bad, but 40% can kick up some very unpleasant sailing conditions. And several times, we had 3-day gales blowing. You could barely stand still. Not quite swimming weather for me. J made it in several times, only to warn me that I would not be able to handle it.

We had fun anyway with quick trips, going out to one of the islands for an afternoon or one night and coming back to our home port early. J needed to be at work on Wednesday nights so we could not risk being weathered in away from home.

In mid-August, after three wonderful weeks of guests on board, J and I drove to Port Clinton after his Friday night show for 5 days of R & R. We arrived in time for last call at our Yacht Club before crashing for the night. 

The next morning we checked the weather reports as we drank our "best-ever" coffee, and were cheered to find the wind favorable for a sail to Kelley's Island. But first we headed to the local park for the City Wide Yard Sale. 

On a previous trip, J had brought a loaf of homemade bread (his grandmother's recipe) to the Yacht Club caretaker Eric. He left it on Eric's front porch and we went sailing. Two days later as we approached our home dock, Eric waved and came to help us tie up. "There's been a theft," he said.

I quickly looked to see if my car was there. It was. Then he added, " There were two squirrels partying on my porch the other day." The critters had smelled the bread and chewed their way in through the screened window, knocking over Eric's CO2 rifle, to get to the baked goods. They had the bread out of the bag and were pigging out on it. 

At the City Wide Yard Sale, I kept my eye out for a vessel we could use to protect future deliveries. Sure enough, there was a red mailbox for sale for $5. We took it home, put a "Bread Delivery Box" sign on the flag and left it (filled, of course) on the next trip. 

After our visit the to Yard Sale, we packed up and headed for Kelley's Island. This time we were able to set a close reach and sail all the way. 

When we arrived, we went to the dock to unload the bikes, and then dropped anchor for the night. As usual, by dusk most of the other boats had departed, leaving us with two motorboats and one other sailboat for the night. We sat on deck and watched the sunset.

I got nervous when I saw the other sailboat head into the protected cove and tie up to the rocks, followed by one motorboat. We turned on the weather radio station and sure enough, an unexpected storm was headed our way, and soon. No time to sail around the island to the city dock, so J  pulled up the anchor and we headed over to the state dock. 

You are only supposed to stay there for 15 minutes, but we have tied up overnight a few times when the weather turned sour suddenly. We sat on the deck and watched the approaching storm. And the final motorboat. 

He came into the cove and tried to drop anchor, but there is so much seaweed growing there that he could not get it to catch. We could see it covered with vegetation when he raised it for another try. Jerry went ashore and called out to him that there was another side to the dock where we were and he would help him tie up there. In short time, he was secure.

Turned out it was a guy from New York who was making the Great Loop - down through the Great Lakes to the Mississippi (through estuaries near Chicago), on to the Gulf of Mexico and back up on the Atlantic Coast, (people often use the Inter-coastal Waterway to avoid the open ocean.) We exchanged a few words and went to sleep. 

The next morning, I headed up to the State Park to take a shower before we moved back to our anchorage. I hoped to check out the kayaks by now, but had not had a chance yet. J walked to the store across the street for ice. When I got back, there was a park worker there who said we had to move immediately and had no sympathy for the conditions of the night before. We were getting ready to go when another official arrived. He let us take a few more minutes since our boat is registered in Ohio, but the guy from New York had to move right then. Not very hospitable if you ask me. (Note, there was no one else around trying to use the dock.)

For the next few days, we did all our favorite Kelley's Island things - biked around the Island, had strawberry shots at Bag the Moon Saloon, toured the Glacial Grooves (pictured below with J and our friend Jeanne), found the reservoir in the old quarry and enjoyed the sandy beach area. 

One day, I decided it was time for me to try the new kayaks. J had been in them and found it challenging to get in and out from the ladder on the boat. We had a inflatable dinghy before and you could step in the center and then lower yourself into the seat. When J tried standing in his kayak to get back onboard, the kayak flipped and he lost his new goggles. He was not sure the kayaks were going to work for getting to and from shore after that. 

Of course, I am smaller and lighter than J, so it was easy to put one foot in the kayak and slip into the seat. The kayak skids away. but it was tied to the sailboat so I reeled myself back in, got my paddle and I was in. J was more curious to see if I could successfully get back out. I did not think about it, just reversed the process, putting my weight on the foot on the ladder before  standing and I was out.

To his credit, J did not lose his temper when I stumbled into this method so easily. He even gave me credit later for showing him how to do it. I think now the kayaks have a chance of lasting for future seasons.

We paddled all over. checking out the shore and the other boats. When we decided to swim (finally, it is warm enough to try my new alligator float!), I decided to use the kayak to drag it to shore and wade in the shallow water to get on. I did get some strange looks as I paddled back and forth with the alligator in tow, but it made sense to me! I hated to see that afternoon end. 

We went home relaxed and rested. Ready to sail another day as soon as possible!