Monday, July 15, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Being on and Getting off the boat.
The adventure so far has been quite like a lot of my summer adventures usually are, ridiculous. Chris, Luke and I rented a car for 23 hours ( time change ) and drove it from New Orleans to Marathon Key, dropped off our stuff. Chris and Luke slept on the boat for an hour and then got up and drove the car back to Miami. It was the only place they would let us drop it off without charging us another arm and leg for the privelege. They then took a whole day getting from Miami to Marathon Key for 5 bucks on public transportation. Wish I had known about that with all the times spent down there in my early 20s. Miami has a way of making you want to escape. I spent that day eating at a Cuban restaurant with Paul and then laying by a pool crawling with iguanas. Suffice it to say, the trip was off to a good start.
Paul has been there for about 3 weeks lending help to another boat of friends that were also going to head up to Maine. He was really ready to leave, I wanted to do some snorkeling before we took off. Unfortunately the first day I got insane sea sickness. I couldn't keep anything down at all. No water, no food. It was sad, because by the time we got to the first snorkeling place, I was so weak all I could do was float in a life preserver tied to the boat. That night we anchored in unprotected waters because we wanted to go to the nicest snorkeling spot. I at least managed to put on a snorkel mask and look down as I was tied to the boat in a life preserver there. All day again I could barely keep anything down. By the evening, I had managed some water and some graham crackers. Paul enthused by my "recovery," (I still felt incredibly sick and was contemplating getting off the boat back then, i thought I would die. Really) wanted to get on the Gulf Stream immediately as to not lose a day. He had promised me we would go into Miami and I would be able to get seasickness medicine to last our days on the Gulf Stream. By the time we were near Miami he had changed his mind, thought i was fine. I wondered how best to get to shore, 2 life preservers and my floating bag. I would jump off the boat if need be. Chris agreed with Paul, but thank god Luke was there. Luke stuck up for me and we went into Miami so I could get medicine, even though it cost us a day.
That evening we anchored and walked to Publix. I got every kind of seasickness medicine they had and then we went back to the boat where the boys made hamburgers and I passed out. They did not save me one. The next day we took off and I didn't feel a thing. It was awesome to be on a boat where every rock didn't connect to some seriously ill pulling inside of my body. The medicine did however make me incredibly sleep, dull witted and zombie like. I could mostly only pull my strength together to get up, pee in a bucket and drink a San Pellegrino. This zombie like state lasted another 3 days in which I was incapable of manning the tiller. I didn't touch a sail at all the entire time on the boat and any adventure to the bow was frought with worry and weakness. That medicine made me weak. most people say that they are fine on it, but things hit me a lot harder than most. I should have stocked up on a homeopathic remedy, but had not. I decided I needed to stop taking the medicine, because if I was just going to be a zombie the rest of the time, it would be better to be lolling about in a different place. Instead of taking up precious room on a tiny boat. The day before we got into Beaufort, South Carolina I felt fine. The weather was great, no storms, no water spits like the Day before. I thought I could do it, I had gotten used to it. I was gonna be fine. I could be a sailor. We got into port, anchored and went to sleep after I took a renegade shower on the dock with a hose in my bathing suit. I hadn't had a chance to wash the sick off and my hair was turning to straw, I also had a yeast infection.
Beaufort South Carolina is beautiful. Not really a functional town near the anchorage, mostly touristy shops and specialty shops. But they had a library and a ups store and a good bagel shop and a good coffee shop all under beautiful old live oaks. The water front was a park for the public with lots of tree shade and in the evening families walked up and down and kids did gymnastics in the grass. It was quite a sight, because New Orleans has so few children. I definitely thought I could live there for a little bit. wee stayed there for two days, enough time to eat 3 burgers, have dinner with Chris's mom's best friend, do laundry, take 3 showers and sit around and read all the New Yorkers we found.
Next stop Beaufort, North Carolina. The wind had changed direction a little bit and instead of east, it was now coming from the southeast in gales. I was sick again and back on the medicine. Our second
night out we hit a storm in which I cowered in the v berth while lightning struck and the second reef was ripped out of the sail. It was at that point that I forgave myself for the flying cloud. I had always harbored some sort of sadness for never really finishing her. That night as the lighting flashed and the reef ripped and my friends were out there fighting with the sails in epic waves and gales, I forgave myself. There is something that sailors love to prove and I didn't have an ounce of that desire. They also have a trust that I have learned to let go of.
We finished our sail to Beaufort North Carolina on just the storm jib in 15 foot waves. I think we maintained about 7 knots. I of course was lolling around in the v birth. Calling my mom to get aunt Judy's number. I was getting off. I was not a sailor and I was sad. Fortunately I stayed on another 4 days or so as we went up the inter coastal. Beautiful sailing and friends and cooking meals and not being a zombie and doing stuff. It was really nice and reminded me why I love it, but I also realized that I am a lake and inter coastal sailor and I was not made for the sea sadly enough. It is a scary and inhospitable place and don't think otherwise.
We pulled into Elizabeth City North Carolina and I challenge you to find a nicer place filled with nicer people. It cannot be done. Free docking for 48 hours, free bikes for us to use. The first night out a stranger bought us a round of drinks and people stopped by just to say hello. me and Chris rode out to a pool 3 miles away and somehow my bathing suit shorts didn't make it into the bag, so the woman at the front desk drove me to the boat to get them. blown away. i dont even give tourists directions. It was so nice I can't recommend it enough. If North Carolina wasn't so scary in regards to female reproductive rights I would think about moving there.
That was the end of the line with me and the boat. We had a BBQ and watched the fireworks and they left the next morning for the Dismal Swamp Canal and I went north to New Jersey.
Paul has been there for about 3 weeks lending help to another boat of friends that were also going to head up to Maine. He was really ready to leave, I wanted to do some snorkeling before we took off. Unfortunately the first day I got insane sea sickness. I couldn't keep anything down at all. No water, no food. It was sad, because by the time we got to the first snorkeling place, I was so weak all I could do was float in a life preserver tied to the boat. That night we anchored in unprotected waters because we wanted to go to the nicest snorkeling spot. I at least managed to put on a snorkel mask and look down as I was tied to the boat in a life preserver there. All day again I could barely keep anything down. By the evening, I had managed some water and some graham crackers. Paul enthused by my "recovery," (I still felt incredibly sick and was contemplating getting off the boat back then, i thought I would die. Really) wanted to get on the Gulf Stream immediately as to not lose a day. He had promised me we would go into Miami and I would be able to get seasickness medicine to last our days on the Gulf Stream. By the time we were near Miami he had changed his mind, thought i was fine. I wondered how best to get to shore, 2 life preservers and my floating bag. I would jump off the boat if need be. Chris agreed with Paul, but thank god Luke was there. Luke stuck up for me and we went into Miami so I could get medicine, even though it cost us a day.
That evening we anchored and walked to Publix. I got every kind of seasickness medicine they had and then we went back to the boat where the boys made hamburgers and I passed out. They did not save me one. The next day we took off and I didn't feel a thing. It was awesome to be on a boat where every rock didn't connect to some seriously ill pulling inside of my body. The medicine did however make me incredibly sleep, dull witted and zombie like. I could mostly only pull my strength together to get up, pee in a bucket and drink a San Pellegrino. This zombie like state lasted another 3 days in which I was incapable of manning the tiller. I didn't touch a sail at all the entire time on the boat and any adventure to the bow was frought with worry and weakness. That medicine made me weak. most people say that they are fine on it, but things hit me a lot harder than most. I should have stocked up on a homeopathic remedy, but had not. I decided I needed to stop taking the medicine, because if I was just going to be a zombie the rest of the time, it would be better to be lolling about in a different place. Instead of taking up precious room on a tiny boat. The day before we got into Beaufort, South Carolina I felt fine. The weather was great, no storms, no water spits like the Day before. I thought I could do it, I had gotten used to it. I was gonna be fine. I could be a sailor. We got into port, anchored and went to sleep after I took a renegade shower on the dock with a hose in my bathing suit. I hadn't had a chance to wash the sick off and my hair was turning to straw, I also had a yeast infection.
Beaufort South Carolina is beautiful. Not really a functional town near the anchorage, mostly touristy shops and specialty shops. But they had a library and a ups store and a good bagel shop and a good coffee shop all under beautiful old live oaks. The water front was a park for the public with lots of tree shade and in the evening families walked up and down and kids did gymnastics in the grass. It was quite a sight, because New Orleans has so few children. I definitely thought I could live there for a little bit. wee stayed there for two days, enough time to eat 3 burgers, have dinner with Chris's mom's best friend, do laundry, take 3 showers and sit around and read all the New Yorkers we found.
Next stop Beaufort, North Carolina. The wind had changed direction a little bit and instead of east, it was now coming from the southeast in gales. I was sick again and back on the medicine. Our second
night out we hit a storm in which I cowered in the v berth while lightning struck and the second reef was ripped out of the sail. It was at that point that I forgave myself for the flying cloud. I had always harbored some sort of sadness for never really finishing her. That night as the lighting flashed and the reef ripped and my friends were out there fighting with the sails in epic waves and gales, I forgave myself. There is something that sailors love to prove and I didn't have an ounce of that desire. They also have a trust that I have learned to let go of.
We finished our sail to Beaufort North Carolina on just the storm jib in 15 foot waves. I think we maintained about 7 knots. I of course was lolling around in the v birth. Calling my mom to get aunt Judy's number. I was getting off. I was not a sailor and I was sad. Fortunately I stayed on another 4 days or so as we went up the inter coastal. Beautiful sailing and friends and cooking meals and not being a zombie and doing stuff. It was really nice and reminded me why I love it, but I also realized that I am a lake and inter coastal sailor and I was not made for the sea sadly enough. It is a scary and inhospitable place and don't think otherwise.
We pulled into Elizabeth City North Carolina and I challenge you to find a nicer place filled with nicer people. It cannot be done. Free docking for 48 hours, free bikes for us to use. The first night out a stranger bought us a round of drinks and people stopped by just to say hello. me and Chris rode out to a pool 3 miles away and somehow my bathing suit shorts didn't make it into the bag, so the woman at the front desk drove me to the boat to get them. blown away. i dont even give tourists directions. It was so nice I can't recommend it enough. If North Carolina wasn't so scary in regards to female reproductive rights I would think about moving there.
That was the end of the line with me and the boat. We had a BBQ and watched the fireworks and they left the next morning for the Dismal Swamp Canal and I went north to New Jersey.
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