Most of the entries so far in our blog come from the perspective of the Captain, the true boater. It just seemed right that I, the Crew and part-time Admiral (see the duties under Life Aboard) should have my own special place to add a few thoughts from the standpoint of a non-boater. So this is it. From time to time I'll add a few notes and I'll tell my non-boater friends where they can find these unique insights into the trip and life with a boater. For others of you who might stumble on this section of the blog, I hope you'll find it a fun side bar. As the Captain would say...see you on the water!
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Crew’s Log 6/22/2012
The first time the Captain took me to the lake for a weekend
he paid someone to clean the boat. We
took the Pig out, rode the jet ski and in general, enjoyed a classic “weekend
at the lake”. On subsequent trips, we
did our own boat cleaning…I know what you’re thinking…the honeymoon, so to
speak, was over. There may be some truth
to that, first impressions and all, but the bigger truth is this: Captain Frank enjoys washing the boat as much
as he loves to drive it.
I’m not sure this is the same with all boat owners but I
know it’s true for Frank. He relaxes the
minute he gets in the car to head for the lake and his mood improves directly
in relation to the distance to the boat.
He really doesn’t care if he’s fixing something, cleaning something,
sitting on the dock, or actually taking the boat out. It doesn’t really matter if it’s raining or
the sun is shining (as long as it’s warm).
If he’s at the boat, it’s a good day.
At first I didn’t really understand this business of going
to the boat but not necessarily going for a boat ride. But then I started thinking of my kayaking
days. There was a similar phenomenon
during those trips. Sometimes we’d sit
at camp most of the morning while there was a lively discussion about which river
we should run or which section of the river would be best that day. We’d drink coffee and the guys would
talk. Might get on the river for a
couple of hours and then back to the camp site for some good food and drink,
some guitar playing, watching the fire and conversation. So, I guess boating is boating on whatever
scale. There’s less cleaning with kayaks
and there’s a campfire but mostly it’s all about being close to the water and
relaxing with folks you care about.
Seems like a good gig, huh? You
just have to understand the term “boating”!
See you on the water...or at least on the boat...cleaning...fixing...etc.
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"Experienced"
is a Relative Term
We’ve been on the river 12
days now. It’s been a learning
experience in all kinds of ways, especially for a novice like me. Even though I had boated the Lake of the
Ozarks with Frank, the river system with its barge traffic and
locks, and docking as a transient at different marinas was all new to me. So, twelve days in, I think I’m starting to
get the hang of this.
I’ve learned to use the
Garmin in at least a cursory fashion and I can drive the boat in a relatively
direct line on the open water following the boating channel or the auto
guidance. (More involved than it might sound) I haven’t done anything fancy like docking
it, of course, and if the river traffic gets too complicated, I’m pretty quick
to hand over the controls. I have
mastered turning on and off the power systems and firing up the generator when
we need it. I’m even starting to catch
on to some of the boat lingo although I leave most of the direct radio
communication to the Captain.
One of the more stressful
challenges for me is working the lines; known as ropes when one is on dry
land. Frank is very good at handling the
boat and when the wind isn’t blowing too badly, he can make the Pig do pretty
much anything he wants. Even with that though, there doesn’t seem to be
anything routine about docking or tying off in a lock. Each time is different
and I haven’t figured out how to anticipate what I need to do. And even when I know what to do, execution is
another thing. As any card carrying
control freak will tell you, this feels a little too loose. I’m sure I’ll get there and we have indeed
had some successes but I’m not feeling very “experienced” yet in this
department.
Once free from the marina,
the river holds many treats. The scenery
on the Tennessee has been beautiful as we cruise along at a leisurely 8 mi/hour
pace. I’ve taken lots of pictures but it’s hard to capture the beauty of the
river and the changing landscape. We have enjoyed some terrific weather and I
have even sunbathed on the bow a couple of days. Mostly I stay on the fly bridge and read when
I’m not running errands for the Captain or filling in at the wheel.
I’m becoming a hat
person. I have never worn hats much but
find myself in a baseball type cap a lot of the time now. There are a couple of reasons for this. My hair isn’t long enough for a ponytail but
it is long enough to blow in my face a good deal of the time. The hat keeps my hair out of my face. Probably the more important reason though has
to do with appearances. I can’t figure
out a good time to wash my hair.
When we’re going to be on
the river all day, it doesn’t seem to make sense to shower and wash my hair in
the morning. I always shower at night
before going to bed but this seems like a silly time to wash my hair when it
will take a while to dry and the style won’t hold overnight anyway; quite the
dilemma. I haven’t figured out an adequate
solution yet but kind of go back and forth between letting it go and taking two
showers a day. The hat is a handy
alternative.
A word about the
locks. We’ve done four so far and have
more to come in the next few days. We watched a safety video about the locks
before we did the first one. The problem
is the video didn’t actually cover the part where the captain brings the boat
in to the lock and the crew gets a rope over the floating bit and ties the boat
up close to the lock wall. If you have
read the main blog entries you know that our first attempt was a debacle and,
I’m sure, the story the lockmaster took home to his family that night. We made lots of adjustments following that
learning experience and in the next three locks we looked really good. I’m still pretty intimidated by them but by
the time we get to Mobile in a couple of months I will at least be able to say
I’m experienced. Whether the experience
is generally good or bad remains to be seen.
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| The Pig, with all her umbilical cords hooked up |
Any number of things can go
wrong and have, so there has to be a certain amount of time allocated for
fixes. That’s generally more a challenge
for Captain Frank than for me but as a trusty crewmember I’m usually involved
holding flashlights or running after tools, etc.
So, I guess my initial
answer is that so far the trip has been fun.
It’s been fun in the same way as the half marathon I ran a couple of
years ago and the 100 mile bike ride I did in one day many years ago…and yes, maybe
even like raising children. It’s
challenging and there is a feeling of accomplishment. There are also moments that are special in
unexpected ways that will be tremendous memories when it’s all said and
done.
See you on the water
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Crew’s Log 10/7/12
Webster’s dictionary
defines an adventure as follows: an undertaking usually involving danger and
unknown risks. Our “unknown risks”
lately really haven’t involved a lot of danger but there has been a certain
amount of stress.
As you may know from the
primary blog entries we’ve been sort of hung up at Aqua Harbor. We had intended to stay three or four days
and then head on down the river. We’ve
had two false starts now and it’s been 13 days since we arrived here.
The first delay was weather
related and we managed to get through those days pretty well. Frank had a few projects around the
boat. I cleaned out drawers and did
laundry. So we managed to stay busy with
a day marked on the calendar when we thought the weather would break and we’d
be on our way. Then we hit the bigger
snag. All ready to cast off and the port
engine had a problem. The mechanic
thought he could have us up and running the following afternoon so we again had
a tentative start date. Instead, parts
weren’t available so we got backed up another two days. He got the carburetor back on Friday and we
were ready to rock and roll.
Even though the weather
wasn’t great yesterday morning The Captain and I both had “GO” written all over
us. Unfortunately, within an hour of
leaving the dock we knew we still had a problem with the port engine. The temptation to keep going and hope for the
best was pretty strong but prudence won out.
We knew we had at least two or three days before we would be at another
marina with a mechanic available, and the idea of breaking down on the Ten-Tom,
with multiple locks and few places to stop, wasn’t very pleasant. We turned around and headed back to Aqua more
than a little frustrated. The mechanic
would be available Monday. This was Saturday.
The marina at Aqua Harbor is
nice and we have had a courtesy car available for short trips. We’ve used it several times and even found a
Sonic in Savannah, TN, a definite plus from my perspective. But the bottom line is there really isn’t
much to do. I like to walk and have spent
some time doing that, but there isn’t much of any where to go. I love to read and spent time doing that
too. We’ve cleaned about everything
there is to clean and Frank’s done several little repairs, some of which
involved stuff for me to do. So, now I’m
bored.
No one has ever
complemented me on my patience unless they were being facetious. Frank has often remarked about my inability to
relax. I’m really trying to do both and
keep my eye on the ball, so to speak. We
knew there would be snags in the plan, that’s what makes it an adventure. Intellectually I know all the “bright side”
stuff. We’re safe and we have a plan to get the engine fixed. How long that will take and what it will
entail remains to be seen tomorrow.
Until then, I think I’ll make a pie, read another book and go for a
walk…and keep smiling.
See you on the water
Crew's Log 12/5/12
Shipwrecked. That’s the term I have started using to
describe our seemingly endless string of repairs. Ok, shipwrecked might be a little
dramatic. We aren’t in the middle of the
ocean with sharks bumping us in the water, and we haven’t been on a deserted
island with cannibals and no internet. We
just haven’t been moving much.
We were very excited when
we left Columbus and headed into that last section of the Tenn-Tom. We had 5 beautiful days on the river. The dead times in Aqua Harbor and Columbus were
behind us and we felt like we were on our way again! Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t last
long. We cruised in to Mobile Bay the afternoon
before Thanksgiving. After all the
delays it was awesome…until the starboard engine quit about three miles from
Dog River Marina, our next port.
The Captain had already
arranged for someone to look at the engine but it was going to have to wait
till Monday. No mechanic services
available over the holiday weekend. Boat
mechanics should have a holiday too, you know.
So, figuring we’d need one day for diagnostics and a couple of days for
fixes we marked Thursday 11/29/12 as our possible departure date. As it turned out, that has been extended a
couple of times now and the total is now going to be over two weeks.
Each time we’ve been
shipwrecked we talk about me making a trip home rather than waiting out the
repairs on the boat. The problem is we
never know how long we are going to be stalled.
We get a date in our minds and then we have to regroup. A couple of times we have literally unhooked
and thought we were on the way. That’s the hardest part. If you were really shipwrecked you would know
you weren’t going anywhere. It’s like we
have this brass ring dangling out there in front of us that we just can’t quite
seem to reach. At least we have learned
not to take the smooth sailing days for granted.
We boated 12 great days in
August and another 12 in all the months since then. It’s not all repairs. I’ve made a couple of trips home but I can
tell you this is not the average we had in mind. The repairs have not been frivolous, they
have been show stoppers at least and/or dangerous. The Captain has made good decisions and we’re
doing the best we can. The Pig was used
to weekend cruises in the summer time.
This time of year she could count on being winterized and having a nice
long rest. She obviously has her own
ideas about what it takes to be a working boat again.
Christmas is looming and
I’m anxious to get home in time to join in some of the anticipatory
activities. The tightening calendar is
adding some conflict for me. The Captain
and I would both feel better if we could make the gulf crossing before
Christmas but it’s impossible to tell if we’ll have a good weather window in
the timeframe we need. I don’t have
airline reservations yet. Not only do we not have a firm date but we’re not even
sure what city from which to make the trip. If people who are shipwrecked feel
out of control, then maybe it is the right word.
So, I’m taking a deep
breath and trying to keep in mind this whole trip is a special life
experience. Last Thursday night a bunch
of folks doing the loop, who are currently here on Dog River, got together for
dinner, drinks and good conversation. I
was surprised by how many of them are here for an extended stay due to boat
repairs. It’s just a part of the process and it didn’t
seem to be dampening anyone’s spirits. I did learn a new nautical term that’s
worse than being shipwrecked in the water.
It’s called being “on the hard”.
Yea, it means the boat is out of the water up on blocks, and just in
general, that’s never good.
Then Saturday night we all
watched the Dog River Christmas parade.
Sail boats, power boats, big boats and little boats were all decorated
with lights and cruised this section of the river playing Christmas music and
throwing candy and Mardi Gras style beads.
I couldn’t have seen that at home!
The Captain and I have
managed not to get too testy with each other, although we have had our
moments. We’ve enjoyed site seeing along
the Gulf since we were wise enough to have a rental car for the first week we
were here. We've traveled west through the Mississippi Gulf Coast to New Orleans and walked in the sand and surf in Gulf Shores. Another great way to enjoy the water.
The people here at Dog
River Marina have been terrific and in just a few days (do I dare say it?) the
Pig will catch her breath and we’ll be on our way. We’ll leave the dock having made some new
friends and eaten some great seafood. And
one of these days we’ll laugh about all of this and remember it as part of our
great adventure.
See you on the water
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