Day 5 Complete

Tonight's post will be a bit short as it's late and time for bed. We will be up at 7:30 tomorrow and will begin our final half day at 8:00. Our goal is to have the boat ready to go when Mark gets here which means working thru  an extensive checklist of things to do before getting under way.

This morning, I had to navigate our 47 foot cat out of our slip backwards in order to pivot in a tiny canal so that we could get pointed out into the channel. Oh, and I wasn't allowed to hit the boat next to us, either!  

That's the other boat on the left. It's actually a nice sized monohull but next to us it looks like our dinghy.

Naturally, there was an audience aboard the monohull this morning and they all gathered and watched with great anticipation to see how this was thing was going to go down. There were probably 5 or 6 folks watching me do this  so no pressure!  

It's a powerful feeling when you can conquer your fears.  Before this week began, there was no freaking way I would have gotten behind the wheel of this beast to embark on such a futile mission of ineptitude.  But, today I calmly and beautifully left the canal (backwards) and the monohull behind me as the folks aboard it applauded us and said they were envious of the big cat's turning radius. It's hard to describe the feeling but suffice it to say I am feeling good about it!!!

Incidentally, we each took tests today and passed so now there is just one more to take tomorrow and we'll have our certification to charter a boat anywhere in the world by ourselves (called bareboating - I'd hoped bareboating meant something else)!  Of course, we will be looking for some folks to go with so let us know!

So, I have told you guys about Beth's many brushes, er, impacts with the $&@&$$&!! Bimini, right? Today it only happened twice so we are considering that progress.  She's probably concussed so she doesn't know anything different - she thinks that's progress, too.  But, what about the bane of my existence on board? What do I dislike about the trip????

Glad you asked!  I have a blister on my hand and it is pretty sore. But, it's not from the sails, the lines, the halyards or any of that. Nope! Instead, it's from this:

See the handle on the right? To pump water in the bowl, you use the handle up and down numerous times. To pump the deposits, you use the handle, again, numerous times.  And, when I sit on the toilet it at 6'1, 215 my backside pretty much engulfs the little thing and my left leg ends up landing squarely on, you guessed it, the handle. Beth hates the little booger, too, because when you pee in the middle of the night the last thing you want is a workout from pumping that handle up and down!  Ugh. Where is the dislike button....?

I will post a ton of pics tomorrow that I downloaded from my camera as hopefully we will have wifi at the hotel. But, tonight I will leave you with the thoughts of seeing dolphins when you wake up and dolphins when you come in to the harbor at the end if the day. And, in between, it's even better!  

Last pic for today - here is a pretty genoa sail we hoisted during some downwind sailing today....

Day 4...or is it 3...or 5?

Tonight's blog is coming to you from our cat located at the South Seas Marina in Captiva Island.  The days are kinda running together out here on our little 47 foot slice of heaven but we hear it's what the working stiffs call Thursday.  Sigh.  We only have a couple of days left on our sailing course and that's a bit sad. We've accomplished so much yet there's so much that we still want to accomplish.  There's still so much that we want to perfect.  So much we still want to master.  But, we continue to stay on the right side of the water and we haven't even come close to falling off.  Under our measure, that's what we consider the ultimate success!

Let's talk about docking versus dropping the hook today, shall we?  Two nights ago we dropped the hook, or anchored as you might call it, in a lovely little place called Cabbage Key.  We took a sunset dinghy ride over and had ourselves a few drinks and a few laughs.  Last night, we once again dropped the hook - this time in an anchorage off the very scenic and ritzy Boca Grande.  There, we dropped the anchor as we faced a westerly wind and though it took a couple of minutes to "bite", eventually the anchor dug in and we were stopped.  However, as we came back from Boca Grande, the wind had changed into an easterly wind.  Thankfully the anchor once again set nicely, even with the turn of the winds, and we settled in for a peaceful sleep.  Except, we once again didn't sleep.  I was worried about the anchor, as the last words from Mark as he departed was "who's got the first anchor watch?"  Hmm.  We hadn't had one of those yet and I wondered if that meant that we needed to stand guard.  It turned out we didn't, as the anchor held superbly.  A wonderful breeze eventually cooled the cabin and we were able to sleep a few hours in spite of my paranoia. This was us at anchor:

So, on the hook means that you are not at a dock or marina.  At a marina, that is where you get your creature comforts such as air conditioning and an abundant supply of running water.  On the hook means you are basically at an elaborate camp out where the only running water comes from a limited supply and there is absolutely no air conditioning.  A word to those who are thinking about doing this trip - avoid the months of July, August and September.  June is iffy, as well.  Thankfully, this May trip has had superb weather.

Dropping the hook is just about as simple as it sounds.  Drop hook.  Splash.  Ease back and make sure it holds.  Nothing to it, right?  Docking at a marina (where the AC, water and 110 volt outlets are) brings good things to the boat but boy what a process it is to tie up.  As I was absolutely bathed in the most massive flop sweat I have ever felt, I was thinking "man, we didn't have to do this crap the last couple of days!"  The process isn't all that complicated but it's certainly labor intensive unless you are the captain.  The captain sits in the cockpit and watches you as you scurry from cleat to piling to cleat to piling to cleat to piling, etc.  At the end of your time, your cat is snug as a bug but, my God, what it takes to get it that way is HOT in the summer.  Did I mention not to do this in July?  Whoa...

So, the pluses to dropping the hook are the ease, the serenity and the fact that the no-see-ums (tiny little bugs with a big bite similar to a mosquito) don't go out there to feed on human flesh.  The down side is the lack of AC, 110 volts and abundant water.  A marina has all those things but they charge by the foot and they supply a vast amount of no-see-ums that make it difficult to sit in the cabin and have a lovely evening dinner. 

So, that's a comparison - I think Beth and I both prefer the hook, to be honest.  Anyway, today we motorsailed most of the day and when we got to the resort here (which is spectacular, by the way), we practiced our docking maneuvers.  Beth isn't a fan of boat traffic and Mark asked her to guide us into a narrow channel to dock the boat.  Beth was able to overcome her fears and guided us in perfectly and then sat back and watched me run my own "special" version of a Chinese fire drill as I moved our lines around to tie up to the dock.  Ahhh, good times....unless you were running the dock lines like I was! Afterwards, we hit the beach and enjoyed a lovely sunset...

Meanwhile, I have bounced back and become a champion knot maker!  Not being able to do this was frustrating the crap out of me so I'm thankful for Mark for sitting down and working with me until it became second nature.  Meanwhile, Beth has become quite adept at hitting her head hard on the bimini and her sailor talk is really rounding into form!  :)

In our normal life, Beth and I make a great team and out here on the water, it's no different.  In the few areas she is weak, I am strong and where I am weak, she is strong.  Together, we feel as though we can accomplish anything and this week we have been challenged like never before and we have more than just succeeded!

Tomorrow, we'll sail back to the Pink Shell and we'll have to take two more tests.  Mark is supremely confident that we'll pass and, honestly, I think we are, too!  Best wishes to all - here is the English pub that our English captain took us too - big fun!

BTW - the boat's name is Anam Cara which in Ireland means "Soul Mate" - we think it's pretty fitting for us.....

We Passed!

I am proud to tell you all that Beth and I both passed our Basic Keelboat test with flying colors! Yeah! And there was much rejoicing!!! We just got back from the Pink Elephant once again and, except for a very splashy dinghy ride on the way back to the cat, all is very, very well.  Mark remarked (pun intended) that we are very well advanced and above his normal students. I think he was talking to me, too.  Oh, here's a pic of the famous 'phant!

We are currently perched on the back of the boat in the cockpit so let me set the mood for you.

There is a crescent moon this evening that is shining a beautiful glimmering light aft of where we are sitting. The glow off the water is entrancing and, mixed with the gentle breeze blowing across boat, it makes for a truly enchanted evening. Maybe it's the passing of the first test. Maybe it's the fact that this experience is a first experience of something we have grown to love. Or, maybe it's a few too many beers and Hummers! Whatever the reason, it's a truly enchanted evening tonight!

(Here's a pic or two from our sunset dinghy ride back into Boca Grande)

Btw - Beth's favorite part of the trip may be driving the dinghy. All this money spent and of course she falls in love with a rubber raft with a 15hp engine. Anyway, beware if you see her doing this (above).

At sunset when we went back to the island for dinner, we saw some fireman out playing with their water cannon. Yeah, that's right - a water cannon.

Yes, ladies, it was impressive (and it does matter!)!

Ever since we dropped the hook here, we have been surrounded by dolphins. In the sailing world, dolphins are known as good luck charms and these pictures were taken during our test (and yes, now it's a running joke that I freak out and dash for the camera each time we see dolphins).

We slept pretty well last night so I think that helped our frame of mind. We opened the hatches and port holes and we had a really nice flow of air running thru the cabin - no AC required. Now, in the deeper summer months students get a free sauna with their cabin berth!

Well, I need to shut it down now. It's 10 pm and I want to relax and enjoy another hour of wonderfulness....

PS - it WASN'T a hawk that hit our car after all! It was actually an Osprey that hit our car!! Here's one who hasn't gone all kamikaze on anyone yet...