We Are on the Boat ...
September 7 - 20, 2007
 
We spent our first night sleeping on the boat after a busy day, starting at 5 am. We had loaded all the stuff we thought we would need on the boat onto a 10’ u-haul truck on Thursday, Sept. 6, and then got up early on Friday, to make the 480 mile trip to Rock Hall. We weren’t sure if everything would fit when we first saw the truck but amazingly we got everything on. The big items to take were the 9 1/2’ dinghy and motor, golf clubs, bicycles, and boat equipment. Then we had personal items, plus galley and head items (kitchen and bathroom) like you would have for a house. We made it to Rock Hall around 3 pm and got a quick orientation from our commissioning manager, John, so we could get by for the weekend living on the boat. We started unloading the truck with the important stuff to have the basics so we could drink, eat and get to bed! (in that order) We felt like we were being watched and thought that they must be laughing seeing everything we were moving aboard over the weekend. Some people did stop by and shook their heads and asked where we were headed. We definitely look like we will be gone a long time and thought of everything. We’re guessing that 50% of what we brought this time will be dropped off at our NC home when we pass through the end of October on our way to the Bahamas for the winter. By the time Monday rolled around, everything was stowed. Thank goodness for Island Packet yachts. They are known for their storage capacity and we can attest to that. We were settling in, truly loving every minute of our new environment. Terry and I look at each other and can’t believe we are where we are at the moment. More people from the marina were stopping by to see how we were doing and inviting us over for happy hour. The sailing community is so full of wonderful, lovely people, always sociable and willing to help. Since our boat was on the “hard” for a year, it seems like some of the local people were following her progress and were anxious to hear our story and where we are headed. We are staying close to Rock Hall all week for training from John about all the boat systems and sailing characteristics. There are many projects to do and things to learn. Imagine moving into your first home and it’s a brand new house. Add to that a whole different vocabulary. Our first sail was with John for an initial shake-down and orientation sail. Instruments had to be calibrated and we had to learn the system of lines, sheets and sails. It certainly is different than our Catalina 22! The bow thruster and electric wenches are very nice to have. My head was still spinning after we got back in the slip. I’ve never backed into a slip before, so we will have some practicing to do. Our second sail, (first on our own) was a wonderful day with moderate winds and a chance to try the sail combinations on our own. We invited our next slip neighbors, Mickey and Lillian, to come along for their company and their help since they have experience on their 40’ IP. Everything went smoothly until the backing into the slip. We made it but it was very nerve-wracking.