Day 1 at sea. Ever. 37″12 .393N, 075″40’205W somewhere off the coast of Maryland, US.
I’m up top on first watch with first mate Chip. It’s a gentle evening at sea. The sunset was fabulous. It’s 82°F with a gentle variable breeze. I love the smell of the salty air and the sound of the water lapping at the bow as we cut through.
The moon is no more than a sliver tonight, so thin you can see the dark side. There is no line to define where the sky ends and the sea begins. It’s a strange thing to be so alone in such a vast open place. It’s humbling. I was worried it would be scary, and it still might be.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I am afraid of heights, and not much for water. In fact, I really never liked boats. But, nonetheless, I found myself shimmying up a mast and crawling along a 25′ boom to unzip the mainsail sock without a pang of anxiety.
Once safely on deck again, Kevin found a rope that needed to be untied up there. At first I though he was kidding—he wasn’t. Up I went and somehow untied it with one hand. Kevin said I’m his hero. I think he meant it.
After all that, the mainsail wouldn’t raise. There’s a problem with the rigging in the top of the mast. We are currently bobbing along at an unimpressive 3 KTS with just the jib. We are planning on having new electronics and AC/heat installed anyhow, so I will find a marina along the way that can fix our rigging issue too.
A big part of this adventure for me is to step outside of my comfort zone. To do things that are strange, new, and bold. I usually get terrible motion sickness. I even had my doctor prescribe meds to take along—but instead Kevin had to take them.
I’m so glad you are finally moving! This is so exciting.
It’s calm tonight. Anchored off the coat of Ocean City, NJ. The Ferris wheel lights just lit up on the pier in the distance. Taking a night to sleep while there’s dead wind.