Deb's 2 cents from Goose Pond Marina

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
10:45 am

Hi Y’all! As you can probably tell from BK’s logs, we are having the times of our lives on this trip…market troubles notwithstanding. I need to unhook a couple wires on that satellite system so BK can’t keep up with the hourly fluctuations. He announces every up and every down and if I see the bottle of Pepcid AC out on the counter, I can just guess where the Dow is!
Some people have asked me what I do on the boat all day. From reading the blogs, you already have an idea of Bob’s routine…and from those blogs you might have gotten the idea that all I do is read all day long, while Bob cleans the boat and plots our course and plans our days. And while I really do appreciate the work he does (please don’t make me crawl in the engine compartment at midnight to fix a busted fitting!) I do have my own responsibilities.
Along with the obvious things like, buying groceries, doing laundry, preparing meals, keeping the inside of the boat clean (which I’m happy to do as long as I don’t have to change the oil), but I do have other jobs. Here’s a little glimpse into my day.
The morning routine depends on whether or not it’s a cruise day. We’re back in the Central Time Zone again, which makes it a lot easier for me to get up by 7:00 am, but I never was much of an early riser, and so it’s hard to have a leisurely morning on the boat when the minute I get up, Bob’s pretty much ready to leave the slip and head for the next marina… “Are you ready yet?” By the time I get up, he’s been up for hours…had his coffee, written his log, checked the weather, walked the docks, and when I finally come out to the back deck, he’s usually standing on the dock with the hose in one hand and his other hand on the faucet just waiting to start the wash down process!
But bless his heart; he waits till I’m up before he starts blasting the boat with the hose. As Bob washes down the boat, I have my breakfast (PB&J E-Muffin & Diet Coke), and okay – I do get my book out for a chapter or two. But then I get to feeling guilty and so I start shaking the rugs and either vacuum or wipe down the back deck floor and all the surfaces because overnight the No Pest Strip has done its job and killed the gazillion teeny, tiny bugs that have found their way inside. It has become a daily ritual. By then, BK has finished hosing down the boat and I’ll go outside and help wipe down, concentrating on the windows so they don’t get water spots.
If it’s a cruise day Bob disconnects the electric cord, water hose and all but 2 lines, starts the engines and gives me the “high sign” to untie the last lines and off we go. I then get the lines wound up and put away, pull the fenders in and neatly tie them to the bow rail (after cleaning them if needed) and then (you guessed it) I get to sit and read for awhile. I do follow along on the charts, but not religiously…more out of curiosity…BK is totally in charge of where we are and how to get to the next marina. If there’s a lock to go through, I get the fenders ready and attach one line at midship and get ready to wrap it around the floating bollard as Bob eases us up to the lock wall. After leaving the lock, the line gets wound up and put away and the fenders need to be washed and put away again.
When we reach our destination, I get the lines set and the fenders positioned in preparation for pulling up to a dock. When the weather is calm it’s fairly straight forward…I can get both aft and bow lines attached without much of a fuss. When it’s windy, it’s a little tricky (I hate the wind) but we seem to handle it without many tears. (I hate to see a grown man cry!)
At this point, most times (not all) I help with the electric cord and adjusting lines, but at the end of the day, I like to see Bob make whatever adjustments he thinks are needed…I just sleep better when he has put his seal of approval on all lines and fenders.
Activities at marinas are determined by our need for supplies and clean clothes. At those times, we choose our marinas by checking if they have a laundry room and/or a courtesy car. About half of the marinas we stay at have at least one washing machine and dryer within walking distance. And if they do, I run loads back and forth during the day till I’m done, sometimes waiting in line for the machines. If there are no laundry facilities at the marina, I pack it all up, borrow a courtesy car, and head for a Laundromat. On yesterday’s laundry run I did 9 loads! I always take my book with me when I do laundry, thinking there’ll be plenty of time to read, but when those buzzers start going off and you’re trying to pour detergent and …don’t forget the softener and …oops I need more quarters and wait …is that my machine? And oh no …what’s that sticky stuff in the dryer? And hey! …that’s my cart! Then pretty soon you need to start folding the dry clothes while at the same time popping quarters into several dryers trying to keep them all going so your clothes don’t wrinkle! I feel like that guy on the Ed Sullivan Show who tried to keep a hundred plates spinning on sticks! Sheesh! Needless to say…not much reading gets done!
If we don’t need supplies or clean clothes, we either spend the time on any projects that have come up, or exploring the marina and surrounding area, or just plain relaxing. At around 5:00 (who am I kidding?...I count down the minutes till 5 pm.) we both sit on the back deck with a cocktail and a jar of peanuts. Bob watches Fox News and I grab my book (surprise) before getting dinner ready. If we don’t cook inside on our 2 burner electric stove, we have a grill that attaches to the rail at the side of the boat, but BK’s in charge of grilling so I just get the meat ready and he throws it on while I get the sides. Dinner is eaten at the back table while watching Andy Griffith reruns (we both love that show!) Clean up and washing dishes follow and soon Bob heads for bed while I catch up on email.
Yesterday we did laundry, tomorrow we’ll get groceries, the projects can wait…so today it’s a dinghy ride! I packed a lunch and will bring my book because BK’s bringing his fishing pole! Should be a quiet, relaxing afternoon.
Will sign off now because I have to get my gear into the dinghy! Before signing off, I wanted to mention that we meet the nicest people as we travel up and down the rivers. Boaters are a wonderful group! Last night we met the Robertson family…and I wanted to give a shout out to our new Alabama friends…Kevin, Shannon, Lindsay and Brett on their Chaparral cruiser…“4 Bama Fanz”. Have a safe trip!
Here’s to sunny skies and calm waters!
First Mate Deb (Still looking for someone to boss around!)